Traders and business owners in Kugbo International Market have cried out to the leadership of the FCT Administration to protect their land from being reclaimed by powerful forces within the FCTA.
The traders, under the auspices of the Kubgo International Market Traders Association (KIMTA), disclosed that their land was under threat of being reclaimed by Abuja Investment Company Limited and MESOTHO Group Limited.
KIMTA, in a statement by its President, Prince Emeka Egwuekwe, claimed that the Kubgo commercial layout was lawfully allocated to members of Mararaba Building Material Market in 2003, before it was revalidated in 2017.
Egwuekwe, who also condemned an earlier statement jointly made by Abuja Investment Company Limited and MESOTHO Group Limited, insisted that their action contravenes the FCT administration’s stance on land grabbing.
Egwuekwe also alleged that the statement carried in select print and electronic outlets, laid spurious ownership claim to the Kubgo commercial layout which was lawfully allocated to members of Mararaba Building Material Market; the Kubgo Market Traders Association for Timber, Furniture, Mechanic and Cement, by the FCDA.
KIMTA stated that, “Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have bothered joining issues in a matter that the FCT high court in 2017, ruled in our favour, but because Abuja Investment Company Limited and MESOTO Group Limited threw caution to the wind by engaging in a media gimmicks which had all the trappings of advertisement aimed at hoodwinking prospective subscribers.
“While we urge the general public to be wary of their investment decisions as the Kugbo International Market is in dispute, we wish to therefore remind the minister of the FCT that having applied for the Kugbo commercial layout and got the approval of the FCDA and allocation in 2003, in 2017 when we applied for revalidation of the same layout, it was the FCT minister, His Excellency, Muhammed Musa Bello that approved and granted the revalidation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is on record that neither did MESOTHO who happened to be our developer until we parted ways after irreconcilable differences nor the FCT administration had challenged the judgment of the honorable court which ruled in our favour; and not surprisingly, the judgment was never set aside until the renewed attempt to grab the Kugbo commercial layout in 2020, with the backing of the FCT police command.
“It is also noteworthy that in December 12, 2021 and January 13, 2022, our members, took steps to caution the general public on the disputed Kugbo International market during an SOS procession, where we called on the FCT minister to dissuade Abuja Investment Company Limited and its co-travelers to vacate the Kubgo commercial layout,” the statement read in part.
