FCTA Directors Apologise to Wike After Abuja Land Dispute Sparks Public Confrontation
Top officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration have apologised to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, after a heated confrontation between him and naval personnel erupted during an enforcement visit to Gaduwa district earlier in the week.
The clash, captured in a viral video on Tuesday, showed Wike in a tense exchange with Lt. A.M. Yerima at Plot 1946, a parcel of land linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (retd.).
The FCTA had earlier halted construction on the site over what it described as the absence of valid documentation.
Briefing reporters on Thursday, the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, outlined how the dispute escalated. He said officials conducting routine monitoring on October 17 discovered construction activity along the Southern Parkway corridor and requested approval documents from workers on site.
According to him, the team faced “stiff resistance” from armed naval personnel, who allegedly issued threats and insisted that their approvals were with external consultants. The only document eventually shown, he said, was a 2007 letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation, which does not qualify as a development approval.
Galadima said officials revisited the location on Monday and again requested proper documentation from Lt. Yerima, but none was produced. He added that a lawyer representing the retired naval chief claimed the construction had approval, prompting further clarification.
“I explained that there is a clear difference between submission and approval,” Galadima noted. “It is illegal, under the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992, to commence development in the FCT without approval.”
He said he placed a distress call to Wike due to the presence of armed military officers, leading to the public confrontation. Galadima apologised for the incident, saying: “I want to sincerely apologise to the Honourable Minister for dragging him into this situation on that fateful Tuesday.”
Supporting Galadima’s position, the Director of Lands Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, said the letter of intent being relied upon by the claimants did not confer any legal title or development rights.
“In the FCT, the only thing that gives you title to land is the statutory right of occupancy. A letter of intent is not a title,” he said.
He added that the document only permitted the management of a designated park area and did not authorise construction. He also noted that the claimants had neither secured a lease agreement nor developed the site within the stipulated one-year period.
Nwankwoeze stressed that no development can lawfully proceed in Abuja without approved building plans: “Development Control must certify that any proposal aligns with the master plan before construction can begin.”
The FCTA reaffirmed that enforcement efforts will continue across the capital, insisting that all development must comply with statutory planning regulations.
