Scam Detection: Union leaders allegedly embezzle millions from traders in FCT over relocation scheme

FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Barr Nyesom Wike has uncovered a shocking scam involving dubious union leaders who collected between 600,000 to 1 million naira from traders, despite the approved non-refundable fee being 300,000 naira for land registration.

This relocation exercise aims to move traders from road corridors and buffers to Wasa District.

Speaking on behalf of the minister,   Felix Obuah, Coordinator of Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), revealed that over 11,000 individuals have registered, paying the required 300,000 naira fee.

However, some individuals are taking advantage of unsuspecting traders, by collecting excessive amounts under false pretenses.

The minister warned that those involved in this fraudulent activity will be handed over to security agencies.

“If I even say it’s one Naira, I can tell you, nobody can manage it because we put 300,000 naira. As I speak to you, over 11,000 people have collected the form. So if I even say it’s 1000 Naira, no one person can manage it. ”

“We try to put this in to make sure that many people who are ghost names will not even apply in the first place. But as of today, over 11,000 has paid, That’s not enough. They are still pleading that they will require some time.

“And many people are even using this as 419, they’re going to the back and collecting over 650,000 and the government is currently collecting 300,000. people are desperate. That’s why I came here to tell them this is what we are doing. I will carry them along in every process, and at the end, names of those  allocated the shops will be published.”

Initially, 45,000 names were submitted by unions, but these were deemed inflated, prompting physical enumerations to verify affected traders.

He said that the blotted names, among other false claims, made the council to conduct physical enumerations of the affected traders.

“Well, as a matter of fact, the meeting was actually meant to brief them on how far we have gone with the arrangement of locating them to wasa. So we invited the stakeholders of Apo traders, mainly all the association heads, to brief them on how far we have gone, the essence of the enumeration, the essence of the form and how many people have paid and what next we intend to do while we are doing this. And when we started, we did call for such a meeting to inform them of what we intend to do.”

“Im also telling them that it is purely for those of them in the road corridor and those of them in the buffer areas, that these forms are not meant for people who are not trading along the corridor.

“also I have discovered that most of them have gone as far as collecting money from people who are not have business to do with Apo, just because they want to grab it. And some of them who have money”

He noted that plans to relocate the traders that have suffered different setbacks since twenty five years ago would be concluded by this administration, emphasizing that the names of the the allottees would be published for public scrutiny.

“You can see the next day, if you are following the brekete family news, you can see what happened. They were able to be convinced, and they were pleading that they have seen the truth now that please can the coordinators  allow them to now pay?”

Rumor has it that those shops have been given out to government officials, to girlfriends and brothers, but I was able to make it plain to all of them, not even one, And the Minister is not interested ‘

The exercise is expected to conclude by the end of the month, with the names of allocated shop owners published for public scrutiny. This relocation plan aims to provide relief to traders who have faced setbacks for 25 years.