JUST IN: Property being reclaimed not Saraki’s ancestral home — Kwara govt

Kwara State government has said that the property being reclaimed in the state is not Saraki’s ancestral home as being reported in a section of the media.

The government disclosing this Thursday afternoon in a press statement signed by Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press to the Governor, said “the land was (and still is) a public property originally meant for the construction of Govt Secretariat, a Civil Service Clinic, and a parking lot for the two.

“However, ownership of the property was spuriously transfered to a private firm, and for commercial purpose, without the firm paying a kobo to the government or obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy.

Consequently, the release stated that “what the Government has done is to reclaim the land in the spirit of what it was originally meant for.”

The statement reads:

“The property being reclaimed by the Kwara State Government is not Saraki’s ancestral home as is being portrayed in some section of the media. Saraki’s ancestral home is in Agbaji (Ilorin) while the property at issue is used for political meetings in the heart of the GRA, Ilorin.

“The Government’s position is that the land was (and still is) a public property originally meant for the construction of Govt Secretariat, a Civil Service Clinic, and a parking lot for the two. However, ownership of the property was spuriously transfered to a private firm — and for commercial purpose — without the firm paying a kobo to the government or obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy.

“What the Government has done is to reclaim the land in the spirit of what it was originally meant for.

“Thank you! Compliments of the season.”