Enugu Assembly Orders Suspension of Staff Salary Over Alleged Land Fraud Probe

 

The Enugu State House of Assembly has ordered the immediate suspension of the salary of a staff member of the Enugu State College of Education, Nsugbe, Dr Kate Okolo, over her alleged involvement in a disputed land transaction currently under investigation.

The decision was announced on Tuesday in Enugu by the Chairman of the House Special Committee on Land Conflicts, Mr Okey Mbah, during an ongoing legislative inquiry into alleged fraudulent land dealings linked to a staff welfare scheme.

Mbah said the directive formed part of efforts to investigate what lawmakers described as a decade-long land dispute involving members of the Women in College of Education Organisation (WICE) and other stakeholders.

He said the suspension was not punitive in nature but intended to ensure accountability and transparency as the committee continued its probe.

According to the committee, the case centres on allegations that between 2009 and 2011, land known as “WICE Land” was offered to staff and associates under an arrangement that later became disputed.

Petitioners told the committee that they made payments for allocated plots but, more than a decade later, had neither received land nor refunds.

Some of the complainants also alleged changes to the terms of the transactions following the death of an initial coordinator of the scheme, including adjustments to plot sizes and pricing.

They are now demanding either allocation of the promised land or reimbursement of their payments.

Responding, Mbah assured that the Assembly would pursue the matter to its conclusion, stressing that no individual found culpable would be protected.

He also noted that the state government’s broader reforms on land administration were aimed at curbing irregular transactions and restoring public confidence in land allocation processes.