N50m bungalow tears Bamanga Tukur’s son, friend apart
MAY 5, 2013
N50m bungalow tears Bamanga Tukur’s son, friend apart
A four-bedroom bungalow situated at No. 4, Lekki-Taba Close, old GRA, opposite Mahmud Ribadu Square, Jimeta, Adamawa State is tearing apart two close family friends - 42-year-old Muhammed Aliu Bashir and Awwal Tukur, 47.
While Bashir is the eldest son of a former assistant comptroller general of Customs, the late Alhaji Bashir Aliyu Hong, Awwal is the first son of the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamanga Tukur.
Awwal was a former member of the House of Representatives where he served as chairman, House Committee on Aviation from 1999-2003.
Bashir, who is the managing director of Bash Holdings, the business empire left behind by his father, accused Awwal of exploiting a legal assistance he rendered his late father, to appropriate the house as his own.
Bashir told Saturday PUNCH that after his father passed on in 2008, he discovered that the Certificate of Occupancy of the property was missing. He said that following the discovery, he approached Awwal, whose law firm was hired by his father to perfect the papers when the older Bashir bought the property on auction.
He said Lt. Col. Mustapha Amin used to be the original owner of the two bungalows on the plot. He then mortgaged the property to Federal Mortgage Finance Limited (Successor-in-title to Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria) for a loan.
But when the army officer failed to pay back the loan, he forfeited the property which was later sold by a public auction in August 1987 to Alhaji Bashir Aliyu Hong.
In 1995, Bashir decided to sell one of the buildings to Hajiya Dijatu Ballah, an educationist. But to be able to do that successfully, the two buildings had to have a separate C of O each. So the old man contacted Dani Chambers, the law firm of Awwal at No. 117, Mubi Road, Jimeta-Yola in the old Gongola State.
Bashir said Awwal prepared the deed of assignment and he divided the plot into two, with each covered by two certificates of occupancy, in his father’s name.
And for his troubles, Awwal was paid N28,000 which was receipted via Dani Chambers receipt number 00289 dated April 6, 1995. So when the old man sold one of the bungalows to Hajiya Ballah, she collected her C of O from Awwal’s chambers.
Until the man died in 2008, the younger Bashir said Awwal held on to the other C of O and when he did not find it after the demise of his father, he approached the lawyer. But to his surprise, Awwal told him that the late assistant comptroller general of Customs had sold the other flat to him.
Bashir said after overcoming the shock from Awwal’s disclosure, he challenged him to produce evidence to prove that his late father actually sold the property to him.
But since the bombshell, it has become a game of the cat and mouse between the two family friends.
“I have always seen Awwal as my elder brother while his younger brother, Murtala Mahmud, used to be my classmate at Federal Government College, Malali, Kaduna. If he claimed that my father sold the property to him, that is fine. I told him to produce the evidence to prove it; after all, a property worth N50m cannot be sold as you sell a pure water sachet.
“There must be a document signed by both buyer and seller and probably witnesses. As the first born of my father, I think I have all documents pertaining to his estate except the said bungalow. When I asked Awwal whom I was aware handled the documentation when my father sold one of the houses to Hajiya Ballah, I could not believe my ears that my father sold it to him.
“Since then, he has given me more than 12 appointments in Abuja, Lagos and Yola but he has not honoured any. Why is he avoiding me if he is not hiding something? How can someone say a property worth over N50m was sold to him and he is unable to bring out a document to support such transaction?”
Bashir said when Awwal would not honour any of their appointments, he approached his father.
“When I met his father (Bamanga Tukur) and asked him to intervene in the matter, he told me that he was surprised why I was coming to him. He said ‘Awwal is your elder brother, go and meet him and sort things out with him’. It did not even take us more than five minutes before he dismissed me.
“I would have taken up the matter in court but I did not because of the closeness between our two families. I have tried everything to ensure that things are sorted out but all to no avail. Now that I have exhausted everything at my disposal, I have vowed to retrieve the C of O from him.
“He knew my father; if he were still alive, nobody dared to play such a game with him. I am my father’s son and I have never been a coward all my life, even when we were in school. I remember when he found out that the media wanted to come in, he called me and said we could resolve issues without going to the press. But he has refused to honour just one out of more than 12 appointments he gave me.”
When Awwal was contacted on the phone, he alleged that Bashir was out to blackmail him because of his standing in the society.
But he vowed not to fall for the alleged ‘blackmail’.
“He has approached so many people just to blackmail me but I will never fall for that, no matter what. I will give you the same answer that I have been giving to those he has reported me to; if he feels aggrieved, let him take me to court,” he told Saturday PUNCH on the telephone.
But Bashir said there was nothing like blackmail, noting that he was merely asking his friend to hand over the C of O of his father’s property to him.
“Why should I blackmail Awwal? What for? I only want him to either give me the C of O or show me the evidence to prove that my father sold the property to him. Why is he always claiming that I want to blackmail him? Blackmail him because of what? I am not a politician and I am not interested in politics.
“I have vowed to fight him with everything I have. I cannot take him to court because his father is the chairman of PDP. They have the connections and influence. I will not go to court but I will fight until he gives me the C of O in his possession.
“Why is he avoiding me if it is true that my father sold the house to him? I was supposed to go on a medical trip last year but because of the appointment he gave me, I cancelled my flight and had to reschedule the trip. He wants to use power to oppress me but I have never been a coward; I will not rest until he hands over what does not belong to him.
“I used to respect Awwal and took him as my elder brother but that was before. What is a property of N50m to him if he is not up to a game?”
But Awwal, who appeared not to be bothered, said curtly that he would be glad to meet Bashir in court.
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