The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, is embroiled in a legal battle to keep the land on which its Adamawa State office is built.
The office, located in the capital, Yola, was recently encroached on by a developer who made a bold statement by entering into the office complex and digging much of the vacant portion of the land in the office premisses.
The invasion led to NAN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ali Ali, flying into Yola and contacting security agencies to ward off the suspected land grabbers.
In an on-the-spot assessment of the property alongside members of NAN’s management team, Ali described the action as an affront to the sanctity of a property belonging to an agency of the Federal Government.
“NAN lawfully acquired the land over two decades ago,”; Ali said, explaining further that the land was allocated to NAN which had since constructed its office on the site and had continually been operational since then.
“The land was approved by a former Adamawa State governor with a Certificate of Occupancy,”; he stressed.
He recalled that the fresh twist to the dispute over the land began last month, June 30, 2025, when an individual presented a letter allegedly issued by the Implementation Committee of a White Paper of a Commission of Inquiry into Alienation of Federal Government Landed Property.
He adsed, “The letter, which was unsigned and dated December 2019, allegedly claimed that the property had been sold to a company called Royal Stone Global Investment Nigeria Ltd.
“It was accompanied by an acceptance form purportedly signed by one Umar Iya of No. 10 Hospital Road, Jimeta-Yola, and dated March 11, 2020.”;
Ali said although NAN staff in Yola denied the individuals access to the premises the first time they turned up, they returned and forcefully entered the premises and began construction work.
“They also broke the perimeter fence despite a restraining order issued by a competent court,”; the NAN MD added.
Expressing NAN’s resolve to pursue all legal avenues to reclaim the property, Ali said an official complaint had been lodged with the Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, and the State Commissioner for Information had been formally briefed.
Ali added that he had also approached the court again to restrain the intruders from continuing with the construction while the legal process continues.
DAILY POST reports that that keeping a land in Adamawa State, especially the capital, Yola, is tough business.
Undeveloped lands are particularly vulnerable, as land grabbers routinely force their way in and begin to put up structures, thereby igniting legal battles.
