The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has ordered the arrest of a developer and the demolition of buildings illegally erected on plots of land originally allocated to foreign missions in the diplomatic zone of Katampe Extension, Abuja.
The affected land, located within the Diplomatic Zone in Katampe Extension in the Federal Capital Territory, was allocated on March 18, 2008, to 10 embassies for diplomatic residential purposes.
A portion of the land was also reserved for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria for a 132/133KV power station.
Speaking with journalists during an inspection tour of projects across the nation’s capital, Wike said the FCT Administration discovered that an individual had illegally taken over the land and commenced development without approval from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
He said the Department of Development Control had been directed to remove all illegal structures on the site.
“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,” the minister said.
According to him, the plots were allocated to diplomatic missions including those of Thailand, Bulgaria, Syria, Somalia, Serbia and Montenegro, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Senegal, as well as the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Wike added that the FCT Administration had begun notifying the missions to take possession of their allocated land.
The minister also confirmed that the suspected developer, Alhaji Kabiru Sahara, had been arrested and would be prosecuted after ongoing investigations by the police.
“The man has been arrested, and he will be charged to court. The police are carrying out their investigations, and he will be charged in court at any moment from now,” he said.
Wike also inspected several ongoing infrastructure projects across Abuja, including the redesigned Abuja City Gate, the road from Bill Clinton Drive of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to the Tungan-Madaki community, which he said would now be extended to Zuba.
He also inspected the road linking Baze University, Body of Benchers, Nile University of Nigeria and the Wupa Light Rail Station in Idu, as well as the Office Annex for the Body of Benchers.
The minister said many of the projects, being handled by firms such as Julius Berger Nigeria, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Levant Construction, would be completed in time for the inauguration during the third anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in office.
He added that the ongoing infrastructure drive was aimed at opening up new communities and improving connectivity across the capital, noting that residents in areas such as Tungan-Madaki had welcomed the projects as they would provide more direct access to the city.
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