By Daniel Peters
A yet to be confirmed number of workers have been feared dead as a building at Nicholas Ukachukwu’s Praco Limited Estate located in Guzape, Abuja collapsed on Friday.
A source around the area told newsmen that a rescue operation was going on but had been hindered by heavy rainfall.
The source said, “Building collapse at Nicholas Ukachukwu’s Praco Ltd Estate in Plot 458 Guzape, Abuja. Workers feared dead, Ongoing rainfall hinders rescue.”
Providing a background, the source recalled that “Plot 458 GUZAPE is one of the 111 plots in Abuja illegally acquired by Nicholas Ukachukwu, an Anambra businessman whose Company, Praco Limited, is accused of conniving with civil servants in the FCDA to allocate more than 100 plots of land running into thousands of hectares to his company in what is regarded as one of Abuja’s largest land heists or grab.”
He added, “The lands were acquired without ministerial approval in July 2023, when there was no Minister to have approved the land allocation.
“On assumption of office and following complaints from some of the original allottees of the land, the new Minister, Nyesome Wike, ordered the revocation of the illegally acquired plots.
“Construction work was stopped and demolition was carried out on one plot at the Sunrise area that Praco had entered and started construction.
“Nicholas Ukachukwu had at the time accused the Minister of ordering the demolition because he is Igbo man, an assertion that was quickly debunked as blackmail by a man, who has an odious reputation for sleazy land deals and racketeering in Abuja.
“Several of the people whose lands were revoked and awarded to Nicholas Ukachukwu are currently in court.
“Unfortunately, Ukachukwu continues to use his financial resources to frustrate the cases in court and bribe FCDA officials, who have turned a blind eye to his illegal construction on the plots revoked by the FCT Minister.
“Sources indicated that the FCT Minister is frustrated by the antics and connivance of civil servants in FCT in this scandal.”
Earlier in April, there was a report of how Ukachukwu, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the SNECOU Group Limited, accused the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike of ordering the demolition of his investment on 214 hectares of land in the Asokoro district of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He lamented that the demolition was carried out without any court order, despite pending valid two court orders from separate courts restraining the Minister and the FCT administration from tampering with the property.
He claimed that the property was demolished in bad fate because it was owned by an Igbo man, and not because the company violated any law, as all legal titles had been sorted and obtained before commencing development of the property.
Ukachukwu alleged that Wike did not only demolish his properties because he expressed the belief that the land should not be given to an Igbo man but because he (Wike) wanted to take the land for himself.
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