The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Wednesday denied the sale of its Shaw Road Ikoyi office by a former chairman of the agency, describing the purported write up in the social media as distortion of the truth.
The property, which is located at the Shaw Road Ikoyi, Lagos State was the agency’s headquarters at its inception by the late Major General, Musa Bamaiyi under Military President, Ibrahim Babangida.
In denying the sale of the building, the NDLEA said the write up being circulated on WhatsApp platforms by ananimous persons, that a former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency sold off its headquarters office buildings in Ikoyi, Lagos, leaving officers and men stranded, is a fake news.
The Director, Media and Advocacy,
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi said in a statement on
Wednesday that the building housing the agency over the years was not the property of the NDLEA.
According to him, a Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on Federal Government Landed Properties took over the buildings including the Shaw Road Ikoyi office, following a government directive that all vacated or underutilised government properties be taken over by the PIC.
He said the directive stated that such properties should be sold and the proceeds paid to Federal Government coffers.
“The Agency wishes to state that buildings referred to in the circulating piece, which did not belong to it in the first place, served as its National Headquarters before its relocation to Abuja some years ago.
“It should be noted that a Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on Federal Government Landed Properties took over the buildings following a government directive that all vacated or underutilised government properties be taken over by the PIC, sold and proceeds paid to federal government coffers.
“At the time of relocation, 70% of the Agency’s headquarters staff moved to Abuja while the remaining 30% are still in Shaw road office, Ikoyi.
“This remaining 30% will soon join the main headquarters in Abuja as soon as the new HQ building, recently bought by the Federal Government for the Agency is ready for occupation.
“Like other Federal Government agencies whose properties were taken over by the PIC, NDLEA has no hand in the sale of the mentioned properties and does not know who bought them and for how much, as the presidential committee solely handled the sale.
“The challenge before the Agency at the moment is how to remove our officers and men who live within communities where they are exposed to dangers into secure barracks accommodation, a concern already being addressed by the Federal Government through budgetary provisions for the construction of such barracks across the country beginning from this year.
“Members of the public are therefore urged to disregard the anonymous write up, which is nothing but an embodiment of distortion and mischief.” The statement reads.