FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the immediate arrest and demolition of buildings illegally constructed on plots of land allocated to foreign missions in the diplomatic zone of Katampe Extension, Abuja.
On March 18, 2008, ten embassies were given the affected land in the Federal Capital Territory’s Diplomatic Zone, Katampe Extension, for diplomatic residential use. A portion of the land was also set aside for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria to build a 132/133KV power plant.
During an inspection tour of projects in Abuja, Wike told reporters that the FCT Administration found that someone had unlawfully taken over the site and built structures without the Federal Capital Development Authority’s permission.
He added that the Department of Development Control had been directed to remove all illegal structures.
“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,” he said.
He said that the plots that were affected belonged to foreign missions from Thailand, Bulgaria, Syria, Somalia, Serbia and Montenegro, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Senegal, and the Palestine Liberation Organization. He claimed that the FCT Administration had started alerting the missions to claim the land that had been allotted to them.
Wike also announced that Alhaji Kabiru Sahara, the accused developer, had been taken into custody and would face charges following further police investigations.
“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,” he said.
The minister spoke after inspecting several ongoing infrastructure projects across the FCT, including the remodeling of Abuja City Gate, road from Bill Clinton Drive of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to the Tunga Madaki community, which will now be extended to Zuba, the road linking Baze University, Body of Benchers, Nile University and the Wupa Light Rail Station in Idu Area of Abuja, as well as the Office Annex for the Body of Benchers.
Wike stated that many of the projects, which are being managed by companies including Levant Construction, Julius Berger Nigeria, and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, would be finished in time for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s third anniversary of office.
The FCT minister went on to say that the infrastructure drive was a component of initiatives to create new communities and enhance connectivity throughout the capital, pointing out that locals in places like Tungan-Madaki had embraced the projects since they would provide them with a closer connection to the city.
