Illegal Land Deals: Efcc Raids El-rufai's Company * Md, 5 Others Arrested

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, intensified its investigation into alleged sleazy land deals involving former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El Rufai, with a raid on one of the companies believed to be owned by him.
Operatives of the anti-graft agency launched a surprise raid on the premises of System Property Development Consortium (SPDC), a company allegedly owned and used by the former FCT minister as a channel of re-possession and sale of illegally revoked plots of land in the nation's capital city.
Six persons, including the Managing Director, Mallam Idris Othman, were arrested during the raid at about 11.am, while the company's office located on Aminu Kano Crescent in the Wuse District of Abuja was closed to business as at the time of filing this report.
Items reportedly carted away from the company's office during the raid included Federal Capital Development Authority [FCDA] documents, fresh and processed land allocation forms, list of revoked lands in Abuja, records of ministerial meetings, contract papers awarded by el-Rufai, and other sensitive government documents.
Dependable sources close to the EFCC told Daily Sun that the raid was necessitated by damning reports on how the former FCT minister allegedly revoked plots of land belonging to individuals and corporate organizations, which he re-sold through SPDC, a company allegedly owned by him.
"He revoked peoples' land and allocated them to this company directly, which in turn sells to people at black market prices or develop the land to estates and the houses sold.
There is the case of this particular land situated at the Jabi Lake Front in Abuja which is owned by the NNPC, but was revoked by el-Rufai. He then allocated the plot to 45 fictitious persons who curiously, gave the land back to SPDC. That is just one of the shady deals under investigation," said a source who pleaded anonymity.
EFCC spokesman, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the raid of the company and arrest of six suspects. "Yes, it is true that our operatives raided the premises of SPDC in Abuja, believed to be owned by el-Rufai. Six persons were arrested, but two among them including the managing director of the company and one other staff, are still being detained for further investigation," he told Daily Sun on telephone.