Kogiflame
The former Director-General of the Kogi State Bureau of Lands and Urban Development, Alhaji Abdulmalik Samari Teina, has been arrested in Abuja by security operatives over alleged embezzlement of funds meant for compensation of landowners at the site of a proposed ultra-modern market project in Lokoja.
According to reliable sources, Teina’s arrest followed months of discreet investigation into alleged financial irregularities and unauthorized sale of government lands within Lokoja and other parts of Kogi State during his tenure as DG.
Findings revealed that funds running into hundreds of millions of naira, earmarked for compensating affected landowners at the proposed market site, were allegedly diverted. In addition, several plots belonging to the state government were said to have been illegally sold under his supervision to private developers without due process.
A top government official who confirmed the development under anonymity said the arrest was long overdue, stressing that “the activities of some past officials in the Bureau of Lands had caused serious distortions in the state’s land records and deprived genuine landowners of their entitlements.”
It was gathered that Teina was picked up in Abuja on Sunday evening after evading arrest for several weeks.
He is currently being interrogated by investigators to determine the extent of his involvement and to recover the diverted funds.
The proposed market project, which was initiated by the Kogi State Government to boost commerce and decongest Lokoja’s central trading area, has suffered several setbacks allegedly linked to mismanagement of the compensation funds.
The project was expected to provide modern stalls, parking facilities, and infrastructure for traders, but the controversy surrounding land compensation has delayed its commencement.
Reacting to the development, a senior official of the Ministry of Lands and Housing who spoke on condition of anonymity described the arrest as “a step in the right direction toward sanitizing the land administration system in the state.”
Meanwhile, efforts to reach Teina’s associates for comments proved abortive as calls to his known lines were not answered.
The arrest of Abdulmalik Samari Teina is seen by many observers as part of the current administration’s determination to curb corruption, recover diverted public assets, and restore transparency in Kogi State’s land management processes.
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