Justice Ali Bappa of the Taraba State High Court has denied allegations linking him and members of his family to a land-grabbing incident and assault on a businessman in Jalingo.
Addressing journalists in Jalingo on Thursday, Bappa described the claims as false and baseless, adding that he has never been involved in any land dispute with the accuser, Alhaji Umaru Garba Alahsule.
“I have no personal land in the area being claimed. Although there is family land there, I never instructed anyone to destroy property or attack anyone,” Bappa said.
His reaction follows allegations by Alahsule that Bappa and his relatives attempted to forcefully seize his land located near the Taraba State Deputy Governor’s office, along the Jaka-Daferi to Specialist Hospital road.
Alahsule accused one Zaran Bappa, a relative of the judge, of leading an attack on him and his aides at his office near the PDP Secretariat on Barde Way. He alleged that the incident resulted in the vandalisation of his vehicle and threats to his life.
He further claimed that after the incident, the attackers demolished the perimeter fence on the disputed land and marked the property as “Alhajuj Bapa Family Land.”
Alahsule presented land registration documents and fencing permits to journalists, asserting that he had invested in the land over the past seven years.
“I have followed due process with the Urban Planning authority. Now, I am facing a violent takeover attempt,” he said, appealing to authorities and security agencies to intervene.
When contacted, the Acting Public Relations Officer of the Taraba State Police Command, Lashen James, confirmed that the matter is under investigation.
