The state Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Barrister Nasiru Dantsoho, announced the development on Monday, explaining that the closure was also intended to prevent a recurrence of a recent confrontation involving party supporters and suspected troublemakers.
Dantsoho said an investigation into the property’s ownership revealed that it was registered under the defunct Savannah Bank, with no subsequent transfer of ownership documented in the records examined by the government.
He disclosed that the state had contacted the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, which oversees the bank’s assets, to establish who currently owns the building. However, the corporation had yet to respond to the inquiry.
The commissioner said the government would maintain the closure until it received clarification from the NDIC and established the rightful owner of the premises.
He called on individuals or organisations claiming ownership to provide evidence of their claims for official verification, adding that the building would be handed over to its legitimate owner once the matter was resolved.