The Home Builders Association of Nigeria has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of directing the demolition of properties worth over N200 billion in Sabon Lugbe, Abuja, allegedly without a court order.
Barrister Kalu Agu, counsel for the Home Builders Association of Nigeria, disclosed this on Friday during a press conference attended by Nairametrics analyst.
The lawyer claimed that his clients possess all the necessary title documents for Sabon Lugbe, Abuja, and prior to developing the area, they obtained building permits from the Development Control within the FCT Administration (FCTA).
Court Should Decide Land Ownership
Agu stated that the Development Control of the FCT had verified his clients’ building permits and allegedly confirmed them as the rightful owners of the property, with evidence of statutory payments made to the Development Control.
“But, to the surprise of everyone in the FCT, the Minister, without notice to anyone, including our clients, and by executive fiat, directed the Development Control to proceed to Sabon Lugbe to demolish properties worth over N200 billion.”
“As we speak today, the demolition has rendered many Nigerians homeless, as people were residing in the area and are now without shelter,” he added.
Agu argued that the Minister was aware that the area is the subject of litigation, as processes have been exchanged among the parties to the dispute, insisting that “there is no order from any court of competent jurisdiction in the FCT” approving the demolition of the developed area.
“What concerns our clients is that for the Minister to enter such a place and order the demolition, there should be a court order. The Minister cannot be a judge in his own case,” he added, accusing the FCT Minister of allegedly planning to allocate the area to another development firm.
He also denied that his clients were land grabbers, insisting that the FCTA should allow the court to make a pronouncement on the dispute. He took the opportunity to seek President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention, urging that the FCT minister should be called to order.
Backstory
Nairametrics reports that on October 22, 2024, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, ordered the immediate demolition of illegal structures at the Sabon Lugbe South District Layout in the FCT.
- The FCT Minister issued the order the same day after an unscheduled visit to the site of what he termed “illegal structures at Sabon Lugbe,” accompanied by the heads of various security agencies in the FCT.
- Barr. Wike reiterated that buildings without proper documentation from the FCT Administration would be demolished, describing the developers of the area as land grabbers.
- The FCT Minister maintained that the structures were built without the approval of the Development Control Department, in violation of the land use provisions of the FCT.
According to an FCTA statement, “The Minister thus directed the Director of the Department of Development Control, Town Planner Mukhtar Galadima, to liaise with various security agencies for the demolition of the illegal structures and recovery of the land, adding that security personnel will arrest anyone who obstructs the demolition exercise.”