Home buyers in Gambia have lashed out at B4U Properties over the sale of plots of land situated in Madiana village.

The real estate company, run by one Bakary Darboe, was registered on 7 January 2015.

The land ownership certificate in the possession of Mr Darboe dated 8 December 2016. 

When asked about why he put Tanji instead of Madiana, Mr Darboe said he thought the land was situated in Tanji.

Fatou Jarjue, one of the clients of the company, had bought a 20×20 plot of land from B4U Properties in 2017 at a sum of D100,000 for his husband who is living overseas.

“I started paying for my land in 2017 and finished paying the land in 2018. They promised to give me my land documents, but since I completed paying for the land, they have been giving me excuses anytime I called to demand for my piece of land. 

“They also demanded that I pay D17,000 for them to demarcate the land for me and I told them how can I pay D100,000 for the piece of land and pay again D17,000 without even getting the documents of the land? But I refused,” she said.

Kaddy Sawo, also a client, was tasked by her brother Bubacarr Sawo to buy him a plot of land. 

She bought the piece of land from B4U Properties at a tune of D135,000 in 2016– and completed the payment in 2017. 

But she is still yet to be given the plot of land nor her money back.

“A man came to me advertising B4U Properties which is owned by Bakary Darboe and they asked me to pay D5,000 to start the sale process which I paid and they gave me their contract which said I should pay the land within eight years. 

“I believed them and I paid for my brother D135,000 which we started paying in 2016 and finished the payment in 2017. 

“But since 2017, Bakary has not been telling us anything and if you call him, he ignores your calls or gives you false excuses,” she said.

“But on the contract document they wrote Tanji, but on my documents, I saw Madiana which means the land is not in Tanji. 

“My brother wants to build his land but we cannot just get the land and I have reported him to the Department of Physical Planning Customer Complaint for him to pay me back my money, but those people told me that Bakary will pay me,” she added.

Fatou Badjie, another victim of B4U Properties, explained similar encounter with the real estate company after buying a plot of land for her husband who lives in Europe.

Sainey Colley, who also bought a 20×30 piece of land for his brother, Lamin Colley, explained: “I bought this land for my brother who is in Europe at a sum of D144,000 and in fact, they told us that if anyone cannot pay the land in full can pay it in instalments, but we paid the land in full at a go and they gave us Alkalo’s transfer. 

“But anytime I call Bakary he tells me: we are not yet ready, there is no time. And my brother is also on my neck. Then Bakary took us somewhere on land and we met a man who told us that this land belongs to someone.”

Binta Drammeh-Job also bought a 20×20 piece of land from the company at a cost of D100,000 while Modou Barra Njie paid D150,000 for a 20×30 piece of land from the company. 

Meanwhile, Lamin Manjang paid for two plots of land sized 20×20 each for his son, Ebrima Manjang and daughter Amie Manjang at a tune of D100,000 each.

However, Bakary Darboe, chief executive officer of B4U Properties denied any wrongdoing. 

He said the company has a payment plan system ranging from four to eight years adding that those customers had completed their payments before the agreed time.

“Most of them have completed their payments and we issued them Alkalo transfer,” he said, adding after issuing them with the local (alkalo) transfer he asked them to wait for us to clear the land and do the demarcation.

“We have different options. Some places you buy and start developing now and some places you buy and have to wait for a number of years because you are paying by mortgage,” he said.

“They (the customers) are paying by mortgage and we are also paying by mortgage to the land owners. They (the customers) said let me allocate their plots to them but I told them to wait for a number of customers finish their payment before we allocate them. 

“Right now the money we received is not enough. We are not going to demarcate only a few plots and leave the rest. 

“They paid money, yes, but I gave them a land. Why should I pick their calls? I told them I will not pick their calls again. Why should I? I gave you a plot, I gave you a transfer and now you want me to do work for you,” he said.

Our reporter put it to him that the customers claimed that they have problems with the land papers, but CEO Darboe denied this.

“They don’t have problems with papers. They have no issues with paper work,” CEO Darboe said.  

Darboe said the payment is only for the land and Alkalo transfer but it does not include leasing and other documentations.

“When you pay your money, for instance D100,000, you are only entitled to the local Alkalo transfer and nothing more,” he said.

According to him, each customer is required to pay D500 as registration fee and this when they will take the customer to the site for a visit, adding: “If you are satisfied you continue with the payment. All of them came to the site to see before they started paying.”

He continued: “what you can see is only the vast land. We demarcate everything on the paper.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba