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From Fred Itua, Abuja
Residents of Lugbe, a community in Abuja, have raised an alarm over the activities of land grabbers in one of the estates, with concerns that land meant for public use is being taken over by individuals who are developing structures on them.
The affected properties include the town hall, land belonging to the Nigerian Police, Fire Service, post office, among others, which have already been fenced and are being sold to unsuspecting buyers.
The Director of Development Control in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mukhtar Galadima, had recently decried the proliferation of illegal housing estates and other developments in the area, including Idu Train Station, Apo Tapi, and Lugbe.
Galadima had expressed concern over rising advertisements on social media by land grabbers and illegal developers of housing estates.
A resident of the area, Udoh, expressed disappointment at the situation, noting that the land grabbers were not only taking over land meant for public infrastructure but also using fake FCT approvals to sell them to private individuals. According to Udoh, the affected buildings were marked for removal, but the residents later discovered that their approvals were fake.
Responding to the situation, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, Attah Ikharo, visited the site in Lugbe and expressed shock over the activities of the land grabbers. He noted that the land grabbers had gone too far, with a whole community crying out over land meant for public use being taken over by a single individual who had fenced and partitioned them for sale.
Ikharo expressed concern that the land grabbers were now targeting strategic government infrastructure, including land belonging to the Nigerian Police, post office, and fire service. He urged them to desist from such activities and leave land meant for public agencies for their intended use.
Ikharo also assured residents that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, would not tolerate such activities and would work with relevant agencies to reclaim the affected lands.
