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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the arrest of a developer and the demolition of buildings illegally erected on plots of land reserved for foreign missions in the Diplomatic Zone, Katampe Extension, Abuja.
Wike gave the directive on Thursday during an inspection tour of ongoing projects across the FCT, describing the encroachment as “a flagrant abuse of due process”.
“This land was allocated to various embassies. Somebody just came here, took the land and started developing it on his own without approval from the FCDA. We cannot allow this kind of land invasion to continue,” Wike told journalists at the site.
The minister said that the affected land was originally allocated on 18 March 2008 to 10 embassies for diplomatic residential purposes, while a portion was reserved for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) for a 132/133KV power station.
According to him, the embassies of Thailand, Bulgaria, Syria, Somalia, Serbia and Montenegro, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Senegal and the Palestine Liberation Organisation were issued allocations within the Diplomatic Zone.
He disclosed that the FCT Administration had begun notifying the missions to take possession of their respective plots.
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Wike further confirmed that the suspected developer, identified as Alhaji Kabiru Sahara, had been arrested and would soon face prosecution.
“The man has been arrested, and he will be charged to court. The police are carrying out their investigations, and he will be charged to court any moment from now,” the minister said.
Wike instructed the Department of Development Control to immediately remove all illegal structures on the reclaimed plots, stressing that the FCT Administration would not tolerate any breach of its development regulations.
During the tour, the minister also inspected several major infrastructure projects, including the redesigned Abuja City Gate, the expansion of Bill Clinton Drive from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to Tunga Madaki (with an extension to Zuba), and the road linking Baze University, Nile University, the Body of Benchers complex and the Wupa Light Rail Station in Idu.
He stated that many of the projects, being executed by construction giants such as Julius Berger Nigeria, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Levant Construction, were nearing completion and would be inaugurated to mark President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s third anniversary in office.
Wike noted that the ongoing infrastructure drive was aimed at opening up new communities and improving intra-city connectivity.
“Residents in areas like Tungan-Madaki have welcomed these projects because they will link them more directly to the city and enhance economic activities,” he added.
