Man Seeks Justice Over Alleged Property Grabbing by Mr. Colins Eseleom

A former staff of the defunct New Nigerian Newspaper, Alhaji Yakubu Abdullahi, has appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the FCT Administration to help him recover his building, which he alleges was forcefully taken over by one Mr. Colins Eseleom.

The building, originally a two–unit, two-bedroom apartment before being converted into a hotel by Mr. Colins Eseleom, is located at Road 69, Plot 750, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, Alhaji Yakubu Abdullahi said the property was handed over to him by his brother, after which he rented it to Mr. Colins Eseleom in 2018. According to him, the tenant has since refused to renew the rent.

Alhaji Yakubu Abdullahi, who is also the Managing Director of Eness Investment Communication, stated that security agencies had been used to torment him over the issue. He lamented that all attempts to get justice, including reporting the matter to the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force, had proved abortive.

He claimed that illegal activities were currently being carried out on the premises, and that his life was being threatened by Mr. Colins Eseleom.

“My younger brother, who is currently based in Lagos, Alhaji Adamu Abdulramoh, gifted me the two sets of two-bedroom apartments in 2017, which I later rented out to Mr. Colins Eseleom through an agent in September 2018 for one million naira. Upon the expiration of his rent, he refused to renew it and converted the building into a hotel before my arrival from a medical trip in 2019,” he said.

He added, “I had a medical challenge in 2018 that required traveling outside the country for surgery. Upon my return after the successful operation in 2019, I discovered that Mr. Colins Eseleom had converted the apartments into a hotel where all manners of illegal activities were taking place.”

“Several times, he has used security agencies to threaten me concerning my property, asking me to stay away from it.”

Alhaji Yakubu Abdullahi therefore appealed to the Inspector General of Police and the FCT Administration to come to his aid, insisting he possesses all the genuine and original documents to the property.

Reacting to the issue, Mr. Colins Eseleom denied all the allegations, insisting that the property in question belongs to him.