AMMC charges fee to remove structures from encroached land – official
NAN-H-90
Structure
By Uche Bibilari
Abuja, Oct. 18, 2016 (NAN) ) The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) says it uses the provision in the law to recover costs incurred during demolition of structures on the encroached lands in FCT.
Mr Muktar Galadima, the Acting Director, Department of Development Control, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to him, when the department receives complaints concerning an encroachment on land, investigation is carried out to ascertain the legal owner of the property.
He said expenses such as security and fuelling of vehicles incurred by the department in the course of removal of illegal structures on encroached land attract a fee which would be paid by the legal owner of the land.
He explained that the department had the right to charge some amount of money from the legal owner of an encroached property after formal communication in writing.
Galadima said that the cost was not a way of increasing the revenue of the department, adding that it was in the law of the Urban and Regional Planning of the FCTA.
“The law made provision for recovery of cost where demolition is involved; it is not that the department of development control just wants to increase its revenue or contravene the provisions of the law.
“In all cases, we write to the party concerned after we have established the authenticity of ownership over the land.
“We also communicate the cost of removing the structure in the letter.
“We are authorised by law to recover cost of demolition; it is not something that one can run away from,’’ Galadima said
The AMMC official stressed the need for the public to be vigilant because “some miscreants can pose as staff of the department to defraud unsuspecting developers or owners of property.
“Such miscreants usually request huge amounts of money and falsely claim to be able to remove the encroaching structure,” Galadima said. (NAN)
UU/HAS/AFA
Edited by Hajia Sani/Felix Ajide
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