Caught in a Web

Godwin Daboh

Humbled and isolated by his kinsmen, social crusader, Dr. Godwin Daboh’s desire to contribute to the economic development of his native Benue State with the construction of a multi-billion naira shopping mall in Makurdi, the state capital, seems shaky
By Lateef Bamgbose, Abuja
For so long, he endured ceaseless opposition from his kinsmen who opposed his style as a nosey-poker and mounted a serious campaign to thwart his foray into the state's business arena. In fact, two years ago, so intense was the face-off that he was forced to close down his business outlet, a supermarket located along Abinse Road, Makurdi, Benue State.
However, for several weeks now, Daboh has with the support of his lawyers, tried to defend himself against allegations of trespass and attempt to forcibly take possession of a piece of land housing his shopping mall.
Penultimate week, signs that Daboh’s position has become really endangered became manifest as Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, a former commissioner of Police, Lagos State and his childhood friend went public with tales of how Daboh acquired the 2.7-hectare land from his late friend, Christopher Wuese Jov.
In an undated statement made available to The Source last week in Abuja, entitled “When Truth Must Be Told” and another, sub-headed, “ The Wuese Jov land and Godwin Daboh’s Attempt to Dispossess the Family of the Land,” Tsav serially accused the one-time chairman of Benue Cement Company of attempts to defraud the family of Wuese Jov, a one-time managing director of KAWA Construction Company Limited of the 2.7-hectare land with the support of some government official in Makurdi.
Indeed,over the past three months, Tsav and Daboh have been in the news, for all the bad reasons after the reconciliatory meeting with the former governor of Benue State but now a senator, George Akume, whom Tsav had kept a tab on his administration with series of petitions to the anti-graft agencies; the Independent Corrupt Practices (and other Related Offences) Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly stealing billions of naira from the state's treasury, when he held sway as chief executive of the state. For years, Tsav spent valuable time investigating and writing petitions against Senator Akume to EFCC and ICPC.
The bone of contention this time is the recent reconciliatory meeting with Akume.
Daboh apparently felt used and dumped as according to him, Tsav had enlisted his support to “fight” Akume while the battle lasted.
Daboh told The Source last week: “During the process of reconciliation, Tsav saw no reason to inform me and apologise to me for attempting to mislead me into a venture which he himself did not believe in as I have come to see. The former Police Commissioner came to me earlier and told me that the EFCC and ICPC have ignored him for almost six years, but that he was sure if I supported him he would be taken seriously. He then pleaded very passionately with me and sought my intellectual help to write a book from the numerous letters and documents he claimed were given to him by top officials in the Akume administration with which he had written to the anti-corruption agencies. I obliged him, thinking the letters and documents were backed by incontrovertible facts, but I was later to establish that he had no facts to substantiate his allegations against Akume.
“It was from March that Abubakar Tsav started fighting me, after he and Akume went and held a reconciliatory meeting, and I complained that since I and you are involved in this battle to fight Akume, he should have told me. I complained regarding why he went for settlement with Akume without telling me.”
Indeed, his troubles have so deepened that he told The Source that he is a victim of jealousy and envy. Daboh had earlier made some sweeping statements in condemnation of the meeting between Akume and Tsav.
This condemnation thrived until last week when Tsav and Emmanuel Jov one of the sons of Wuese Jov who allegedly sold the land to Daboh in 1993 raised alarm that Daboh, in a clandestine move, was about to take possession of their father’s property.
Indeed, it is a season of troubles for Tsav who battled adversaries from both within and outside the state as Daboh had apparently concluded arrangements to challenge him in court.
Conducting The Source round the property three weeks ago in Makurdi, Daboh presented several documents to puncture Tsav and Emmanuel’s allegation of trespass. In one of the documents, a letter written to Emmanuel Wuese Jov and Terlumum Jov, the two eldest son’s of Wuese, the administrators of the Estate of Wuese Jov, entitled “Donation to the family of late Christpher Wuese Jov,” witnessed by the duo and their lawyers, Terkular Shagbar and A.A Ijohor and Co. of David Mark Bye Pass, Makurdi, Daboh narrated to the children how he bought the property from Christopher Wuese Jov.
His words: “You may recall that I and your late father, Christopher Wuese Jov, enjoyed an unprecedented and cordial relationship that spanned over a period of 40 years before his untimely demise in 2004.”
“You may also recall that, ever since the demise of my late brother, Wuese, I have in several ways being giving unflinching support to the family, both individually  or collectively upon request at various times, needs and dictates. You may recall or be informed further that, due to the knotty relation which we enjoyed, your father sold a large portion of land measuring 2.7 hectares located opposite Mid-Way Hotel which is particularly known as plot No BN 8981 sometime in the year 2002.
“Pursuant to the forgoing, and in fulfillment of my dream and heart- felt promise which I conceived upon the time of the purchase, I have decided to appreciate and donate to the family, through yourselves, the sum of two million naira in fulfillment of my gratuitous promise to support the family, ” he wrote. The letter was dated November 21, 2008 and signed by all the parties.
The two million donation was given via Zenith Bank cheques No.00000034 and No.00000033, with a promise that he would inform them when to cash the cheques.
Interestingly, before the maturity date and with the money not forthcoming, Daboh at another meeting with Emmanuel donated N580,000 in lieu of the cheques which he retrieved. But Emmanuel, eldest son of the Jovs, told The Source that he got only N250,000 from Daboh, an allegation Daboh denied.
On his own Tsav in his statement, also made available to The Source claimed: “that the two cheques as usual bounced. He asked them to re-present the cheques on December 12, 2008 and the cheques again bounced faster than a tennis ball”.
Instructively, copies of the said cheques made available to The Source show they were not presented in the bank.
Curiously, in a letter signed by one S.A Adamu on behalf of Benue State entitled, “Re-application for consent to assign the property BN 8981 under controversy, dated July 1, 2008, the Benue State Government conveyed the approval for the construction of Daboh's shopping mall.
The letter partly stated: “His Excellency in a bid to encoverage private entrepreneurs in developing the state has approved 100 per cent waiver for the processing of your application; the government consent to assign the above property to you direct”
Daboh is not alone in his claim as Yange Ugeh, a 76-year-old security guard who was working with the late Wuese confirmed his claim that there was a transaction between his late boss and Daboh.
Ugeh told The Source: “I was working with him since 1986 as  security guard. One day, I came to resume work on this property and Daboh stopped me from entering the property. He went to B Division of Nigeria Police, Makurdi whereupon police came and arrested me and my wife. For two days we were in detention before, my late boss, Wuese came to my rescue. At the police command, he informed me and the police that the property is now Daboh’s.  I went ahead to blame him. When I wanted to quit the job, Daboh retained my service and increased my salary by N2,000.”
Seven years after the demise of Wuese and 14 years after Daboh built five rooms on the property, Tsav and Emmanuel are up-in-arms to dispossess Daboh of the property.
It is not yet clear if the Wuese family will eventually seek redress in the law court – even though Emmanuel eldest son of the deceased told The Source that “The family has no money to pursue a legal matter in court.