The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions on Thursday asked the Inspector General of Police to effect the arrest of the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Richard Dauda over refusal to honour its invitation over an alleged breach of building code in the federal capital territory (FCT).
The House committee also ordered the arrest of the Director, Department of Development Control Muktar Galadima and the Director of Regional Planning of the FCT.
The chairman of the committee, Mike Etaba who issued the order at the resumed hearing of the committee explained that the decision to issue the warrant of arrest was in tandem with the extant provision of the Legislative Houses powers and privileges Act 2017.
The committee asked the IGP to not only ensure the arrest them, but compel them to appear before the committee on the 28th of March to explain their role on the committal of the alleged infraction.
Etaba explained that he was left with no option after the FDA officials deliberately shunned the summon of the committee.
Etaba who later led members of the committee for on the spot assessment of the building site in Guzape disclosed that the FCDA officials would surely be compelled to produce documents required to ascertain the veracity of the claim of the petitioner.
He said, “We had a petition that was brought before us by a Nigerian citizen and in the course of investigation, the FCDA has refused to come and tender documents necessary for us to proceed with this investigation. But for today, we have come to the site where the petition is referring to.
“We have looked at the building plans and the engineer in site who we met known as Mr. Emmanuel who we met told the committee that there is no approved building plan with him right now. We have looked at the structure, the land mark, the complain by the complainant who is a Nigerian and has a right to his security and safety.
We have looked at it and we would go back to the committee and ask for more documents especially the approved plan so that the FCDA would be able to explain to us the guideline they gave for this building so that we can determine what is actually good for this site and let Nigerians living around here have their peace. We are here to do justice to everybody.
The committee had at its proceedings on Tuesday adopted the petition on the issue regarding plot AO9399 cadastral zone filed by the Chairman of the House committee on Custom, Elder Leke Abejide.
Counsel to Abejide, Samuel Ajayi said the petition before the House committee was in respect of the development on a property at AO9399 Cadestral zone, allegedly contravening the building code of the FCT.
“We have a complain in respect to a building going on there in Guzape which trespassed into the rights of my client. We are urging the appropriate authority to take appropriate step address the issue,” he said.
