By Rejoice Peterside| Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has presented a petition before the Senate over the demolition of properties linked to former Director-General of the Kogi State Bureau of Lands, Alhaji Abdulmalik Teina, in Okene, Kogi State.
The petition, submitted on behalf of Hajia Zainab Abdulmalik, wife of Abdulmalik Teina, accused the Kogi State Government of unlawfully demolishing family properties without due process.
The petition was formally forwarded to the Senate leadership by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, as part of her constitutional responsibility to defend the interests of her constituents.
The petition, authored by Abuja-based lawyer Femi Motojesi, challenged the state government’s allegation that the demolished properties were being used to harbour members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to the petitioners, the affected properties located in the Idoji area of Okene Local Government Area were legally acquired through government allocations and valid transfers backed by official documentation.
The petition stated that the properties were occupied by members of MASWAJ, an Islamic educational and religious organisation known across Kogi Central Senatorial District.
“The property is being occupied and utilised by known Islamic scholars for Islamic activities known as MASWAJ,” the petition read.
The legal team alleged that the demolition carried out on January 15, 2026, was politically motivated and linked to disagreements between Abdulmalik Teina and the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“It is the fallout of these differences that resulted in the political vendetta prompting the State Government to label the property legitimately acquired by our client as one harbouring and camping so-called ISWAP militants,” the petition stated.
The petition questioned why no prior notice was issued before the demolition and why no evidence had been publicly presented linking any occupants of the property to terrorist activities.
“The question that readily comes to mind is when and how these innocent scholars and Islamic teachers suddenly became ISWAP militants to warrant the destruction of our client’s property without any prior notice,” the lawyers argued.
According to the petitioners, Governor Ododo had previously hosted leaders of MASWAJ in December 2025 and commended their activities, making the later allegations against the organisation difficult to reconcile.
The petition urged the Senate to investigate the circumstances surrounding the demolition, determine whether due process was followed, and establish whether the action violated the constitutional rights of the property owners.
Among the reliefs sought are a Senate probe into the demolition, protection of the petitioner’s right to own property, and a directive compelling the Kogi State Government to rebuild the demolished structures.
“The intervention of the Senate is necessary to ensure justice, accountability, and the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights,” the petition noted.
The matter is expected to attract attention at the National Assembly in the coming weeks as lawmakers consider the petition and possible steps towards investigating the allegations.
