By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission has arrested 15 persons for various cases of land grabbing across the state.
The Executive Chairman of the commission, Muhuyi Rimin-Gado, disclosed this while addressing Journalists in Kano on Thursday.
Rimin-Gado said the suspects included three lawyers,four officials of the state Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning and eight other different individuals.
He said five of the suspects were still in the custody of the commission based on the court remand orders obtained by it, while the rest had been released.
“It is a known fact that Kano is one of the valuable places in Nigeria in terms of land value.I believe you can only equate Kano with Abuja,Port Harcourt and Lagos in terms of land value.That is what makes land very attractive in Kano.
“We have uncovered a syndicate of criminals that specializes in grabbing public land. What is so painful is the connivance of some lawyers, court clerks, land registry officials, and even security agents in compromising the system.
“This is a very sophisticated criminal network that we have succeeded in exposing. We are determined to pursue the case to its logical conclusion,” he said.
The executive chairman said the syndicate had engaged in forging government documents, obtaining fraudulent court judgments and using these judgments to seize public and private properties.
“It is a very, very serious issue;it involves forging of government documents such as Kano State Government letter of grant and Kano State Bureau of Land Management letter of grant,”he said.
He said the commission had commenced a sustained investigation into the land scams, warning that any person found involved would be dealt with according to the laws.
“With the backing of the judiciary and the Executive Governor of Kano State, we are resolute in our mission to bring the culprits to justice,” he said.
He commended the Kano High Court under the leadership of Honorable Justice Dije Aboki for supporting the investigation by granting search and arrest warrants and ensuring transparency in the judicial process.