Sokoto govt seals ADC office over ownership dispute

The Sokoto State Government has sealed an office of the African Democratic Congress following a recent disturbance involving party supporters and suspected miscreants.

The state Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Nasiru Dantsoho, disclosed this on Monday, saying the action was taken to prevent further breakdown of law and order and protect lives and property.

Dantsoho said a review of the property’s certificate of occupancy and other relevant documents showed that the building originally belonged to the defunct Savannah Bank.

He maintained that the government had yet to find any official record indicating that ownership of the property had changed.

“Following a review of the certificate of occupancy and other relevant documents, we discovered that this property belongs to the Savannah Bank, and that ownership has not changed as of today,” he said.

The commissioner explained that the state government had written to the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, which he described as the custodian of the property, to establish its current ownership.

He, however, said the corporation had yet to respond to the government’s inquiry.

Dantsoho said the premises would remain under seal until the NDIC clarified the ownership status of the building.

He urged anyone claiming ownership of the property to submit relevant documents to the state government for verification.

According to him, the government will release the premises to whoever is established as its rightful owner after the necessary verification.

The commissioner warned against any attempt to forcefully gain access to the sealed property, threatening legal action against anyone who violated the directive.

He said the government would maintain control of the premises until the ownership dispute was resolved.

The development comes amid heightened political tension in Sokoto State following allegations of attacks involving ADC supporters and operatives of a state-owned security outfit.