By Onilede Titi Faith
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has apologised for drawing FCT Minister Nyesom Wike into a confrontation with naval officers over a disputed property in Gaduwa, insisting the development is illegal.
Director of Development Control, Tpl Mukhtar Galadima, said officials flagged the site on October 17 after detecting an “illegal development.”
He explained that the only document presented by the claimants was a 2007 letter of intent, which does not amount to land allocation or approval.
Galadima said he invited the minister to the site due to the presence of armed personnel, which he considered a security concern.
He publicly apologised for involving Wike in the incident.
Also speaking, the Director of Lands Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, said the claimants have no statutory title, stressing that a letter of intent does not confer ownership under Abuja’s land laws.
FCTA officials maintained that their enforcement action was necessary to protect the Abuja master plan, noting that the disputed construction has no valid approval under the FCT Act of 1976 and relevant planning regulations.
