Kwara State Government has disputed reports in the media about the demolition of the ancestral home of the Saraki family.
The governor’s chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement on Thursday that the property which was demolished was distinct from the family’s ancestral home in Agbaji.
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“The property being reclaimed by the state government is not Saraki’s ancestral home as being portrayed in some section of the media,” the statement said.
“The Saraki’s ancestral home is in Agbaji, while the property we are talking about is in the heart of Government Reserved Area (GRA), Ilorin.
“The government position is that the land was (and still is) a public property originally meant for the construction of a secretariat, a civil service clinic and parking lots.
“However, ownership of the property was spuriously transferred to a private firm and for commercial purpose without the firm paying a kobo to government or obtaining the Certificate of Occupancy.”
Kwara commissioner for communications, Murtala Olanrewaju, said the government was never served court papers on the matter as rumoured.
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“We state that no court paper has been served as at the time the government took steps to preserve what lawfully belongs to the people,” he said.
Mr Olanrewaju urged the people of the state to remain calm, peaceful and be guided only by facts.
