The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has pledged to end unauthorized land acquisitions in the territory.
Wike made the declaration on Thursday while handing over 50 operational vehicles to security agencies in Abuja.
Expressing concern over the growing activities of land grabbers, Wike said, “We will stop anybody who thinks they can obtain government land for whatever reason without formal approval. We will not consider who you are.
Whether you are a civil rights activist or a television commentator, what is wrong is wrong. No amount of blackmail will deter us.”
FCTA Refutes Land Grabbing Allegations
The minister’s remarks came a day after Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to the Minister, dismissed allegations of land grabbing against the FCT Administration (FCTA).
Olayinka responded to claims made in a viral social media video that accused the FCTA of seizing land belonging to a construction company.
He clarified that the land in question—Plot 2241, Gwarinpa District, Cadastral Zone C02, Life Camp, Abuja—was a temporary office site for Paulosa Nigeria Ltd, granted under a provisional Right of Occupancy in 1984.
He challenged those making the allegations to produce evidence, such as a Right of Occupancy or Certificate of Occupancy issued by the FCTA.
Wike Reinforces Zero Tolerance for Illegal Occupation
Wike reiterated that temporary site allocations for construction projects do not confer permanent ownership.
“Show me the document proving the land belongs to you. I am not someone you can intimidate by going on television and claiming you’ve lived there for 20 years. So what? You are merely a squatter,” the minister stated.
He added, “If your husband had a company that executed a project for the FCT and was given a temporary site, that doesn’t make it your husband’s property—it simply doesn’t.”
Wike’s comments signal the FCTA’s intensified efforts to curb illegal land activities and uphold the integrity of land administration in the nation’s capital.
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