Ankpa Local Government Denies Trending News of Sales of Council’s Properties .
..Warns Detractors
The Chairman, Ankpa local government Council of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Abagwu ,has denied the claims making the rounds that he has sold some properties belonging to the council.
According to him, the malicious publications in some faceless online platforms were orchestrated to smear his reputation as the Executive Chairman of the local government Council
At a press conference in Lokoja on Monday, Abagwu described the publications as unfortunate and a mischievous
speculation surrounding the sales of Ankpa local government properties such as
Chairman quarters, Ankpa Hotel, Ankpa Vegetable market behind special day secondary school Ankpa and Agric. Quarters behind Ankpa local government secretariat.
Putting the record straight, he revealed that the issue surrounding the sale of Ankpa local government Chairman’s quarters was an aged long litigation between one Alhaji B.S Musa Ogane-Aji, who was said to have lend some money to the local government to pay staff salaries some years ago.
He added that the case was handled by Ankpa Upper Area Court and in a judgement delivered on the 21st Day of December 2021 the Court gave an enrollment Order which read as follows:
“We have gone through the motion Exparte, the affidavit in support and attached affidavit of Edwin Tebu along with the law upon which this application is made.
“The chief bailiff of this court or any other officer authorized in that behalf is hereby directed to attach the immoveable property of the judgement debtor to wit:
– The Ankpa LG Chairman quarters along Enugu road, Ankpa and
– The Ankpa LG Councilors Quarters, located in Ankpa town”.
The Council Chairman said the judgement delivered by the Ankpa Upper Area Court put Chairman quarters’ on sale adding that the local government appealed the judgement on the sales of the chairman’s quarters.
According to him, “Ankpa Hotel belongs to Kogi state government and is still standing, the land surrounding it belong to Ankpa LGC and the land had becomes a criminal hideout and a place for kidnappers as such the land was allocated to Ankpa prominent sons and daughters to develop. The hotel is a state property and it is not sold.
“Also Ankpa local government vegetable market behind special day secondary school. It is not new that the place is the proposed Vegetable market, over time it has been turned to a refuse dump, the current administration has to clear it and allocate it to those who can build it so that the aim can be achieved.
“Agric Quarters behind Ankpa local government secretariat is a state government land and the local government does not have any business or whatsoever with it” he stated.
He noted that the content of the writeup is false and irresponsible, saying he had nothing to do with the published sales of the local government properties
“The misleading publication was a clear attempt to tarnish my image. The writeup alleged among other issues that i had sold the council’s property.
“This is untrue and a figment of imagination of the mischievous author(s) of the misguided publication” he said
