Umahi Orders Arrest of Hartland MD Over N14bn Road Project, Nigerians Allege 60% Kickback

Minister of Works David Umahi has ordered the arrest of the Managing Director of Hartland Nigeria Limited over the company’s failure to complete an 11-kilometre section of the Benin-Onitsha Expressway despite receiving about N14 billion from the Federal Government. Umahi gave the order during an on-the-spot inspection of the expressway on Friday, expressing anger over the poor state of the road and the contractor’s alleged failure to deliver the work for which it had been paid.

The minister said the government had reached an agreement with Hartland to use the funds to complete the 11km stretch from Summit Junction to a bridge, including channelisation and hydraulic structures, but the contractor had completed only about 40 per cent of the agreed work. “We paid them up to N14bn and when I paid them that money, we reached an agreement that we were going to finish 11 kilometres from the Summit Junction to this bridge with the money I am paying you, and then do channelisation and hydraulic structures. But today, they have just done about 40 per cent of the agreement. So, I recalled the MD to discuss with him for them to come back to site. I am going to look for him to arrest him,” Umahi said.

Umahi directed the ministry’s controller to locate and arrest the managing director, while also ordering officials to retrieve details of the contractor’s payments and certificates for all projects being handled by the company. He said the ministry would also take steps to recover funds paid to Hartland if the company failed to fulfil its contractual obligations. “I want the directors to call up the MPG immediately. You have to write to the banks to pay us that money. We are going to sanction Hartland. This is not acceptable,” Umahi said.

The minister also ordered the ministry’s officials to inspect both bridges on the affected section and assess about one kilometre of the road to determine the immediate measures required to ease the traffic congestion. Umahi blamed what he described as contractors’ negligence for the worsening condition of parts of the expressway, saying minor interventions could have reduced the hardship experienced by motorists. He directed ministry controllers across the country to ensure that contractors maintained roads under construction, irrespective of whether payments were outstanding. “If a project is going on, whether there is payment or not, you cannot allow the situation of the road to be like this. It is your responsibility to at least insist for stone base to be used to fill these places. I don’t want to see this kind of embarrassment again. Places where even N20,000, N50,000 or N100,000 can fix should not be allowed to worsen the suffering of the people,” Umahi said.

Umahi further ordered the immediate arrest of anyone found carrying out unauthorised dredging activities along roads under the ministry’s supervision. “If you see anybody that is doing dredging, I don’t want to know who the person is. You have to cause an arrest immediately. When you see a contractor that is on the road and a section is not passable, you do an arrest,” he said.

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But as the minister’s order made headlines, Nigerians quickly pointed to what they described as a troubling connection between Hartland Nigeria Limited and Setraco Nigeria Limited, one of the country’s largest construction firms. According to posts on X, both companies share the same directors, raising questions about why a company with such links would be allowed to fail on a major federal project. One user wrote: “Look up Hartland and look up Setraco in the CAC portals and see wonders. You’ll discover that they have the same Director/Directors.” Another user posted: “Abu Inu-Umoru (Director) Afizu Inu-Umoru (Director) Thelma Inu-Umoru (Director) Shadi Kawerma (Listed as Director) Laurant Bancod (Listed as Director).”

The claims are supported by publicly available information. Abu Inu-Umoru is the Chairman of Setraco Nigeria Limited and also the Chairman of Hartland Civil Construction Company. A 2021 report in ThisDay described him as the Chairman of Hartland Civil Construction Company, which had been running side-by-side with Setraco, the family business. In 2023, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki congratulated Chief Abu Inu Umoru on his 60th birthday, describing him as the Chairman of Setraco and Hartland Construction Companies. The directors listed for Hartland include Abu Inu-umoru, Thelma Inu-umoru, Afzu Carlton Inu-umoru, and Shadi Kawerma.

The revelation has sparked outrage, with many Nigerians questioning why a company with such strong links to Setraco, a well-established construction firm, would be allowed to abandon a major federal project after collecting N14 billion. Some have also alleged that the Federal Government, through Minister Umahi, collected a 60 per cent kickback from the N14 billion mobilisation fee paid to Hartland, leaving the company with insufficient funds to complete the work. One Nigerian wrote: “I have information on solid grounds that the Federal Government through David Umahi collected a 60% kickback from Hartland from the 14billion they were mobilised with, and you expect them to still be onsite with the meagre amount you gave them.”

The allegations of kickbacks have not been substantiated, and neither Umahi nor Hartland Nigeria Limited has responded to the claims. However, the combination of the minister’s public anger, the company’s failure to deliver, and the revelation of its links to Setraco has deepened public skepticism about the government’s handling of road contracts. As one Nigerian put it: “We’re not serious in this country, when we are ready, things will change. For now lets keep acting like everything is normal.”

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