Minanuel Investment Limited, developer of the Minanuel Estate, Goza, Lugbe 1 Extension in Abuja that was recently demolished, has demanded for an apology as well as compensation from the authorities.
The firm, through its lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), submitted that the demolition of the 372 housing units by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) through self-help cannot be justified under the current democratic dispensation.
“In the circumstances, we have our client’s firm instruction to demand for a public apology and payment of adequate financial compensation to atone for the demolition carried out by the FCDA without a valid order of court of competent jurisdiction,” Falana contended in a statement.
According to Minanuel Investment, on Saturday, September 29 and Sunday 30, 2012, the Development Control Department of the FCDA rolled out its bulldozers and demolished all the 500 houses in the estate worth N3 billion.
“Permit us to state that Minanuel Investment Limited, the owners of the demolished Minanuel Estate, is a registered legal entity under the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria. For many years, the company has been carrying out businesses on property acquisition, building construction, and mass housing estate development, and has presence in many states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The company set out and acquired the land for Minanuel Estate from Messrs N.C.R. Associates in 2004. The papers and other documents to support the development of the land are valid, free from all encumbrances before and after the company took possession of it.
“That is to say that the company received all approval to build and develop the demolished residential houses slated to be handed over to the companies’ contributors by October 2012.
“It is also very important to state that since and before we took possession and commenced development of the land, Minanuel Estate is designated in Goza District, Lugbe 1 Extension and not Kyami District. We are not aware it has been re-designated unless for the purposes of this mischief.
“It is sad and provocative that, without warning or notice to us, the houses built with the contributor’s money and bank loan could be demolished in one fell swoop in a country with over 18 million housing deficit.
“In view of the foregoing, therefore, we demand that this horror, carnage, animalistic behaviour and man’s inhumanity to man which has obviously visited and violated the Transformation Agenda on Mass Housing of the present administration that encouraged private developers like us to participate, be urgently addressed, adequate compensation paid and perpetrators brought to book.”
