President Bola Tinubu has been urged to intervene in the alleged demolition of properties worth over N200bn by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike in the Federal Capital Territory.
Abuja estate developers, who made the appeal, said Wike has disregarded ongoing legal proceedings concerning the properties.
At a news conference on Friday in Abuja, Mr. Kalu Agu, a lawyer representing the affected property owners, disclosed that the demolition in the Sabon-Lugbe area has displaced more than 100 families.
Agu claims that the landowners have valid documents from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), including building permits from the FCT administration’s Development Control Unit.
The lawyer accused Wike of proceeding with the demolition despite pending litigation and served court papers.
Speaking on behalf of the Home Builders Association of Nigeria, Agu stated that the Development Control Unit coordinated with Urban and Regional Planning to verify ownership before issuing permits, following the proper channels in obtaining the properties.
He further claimed that new developers have now received offers for the demolished area, dated October 31, 2024, raising questions about the motive behind the demolitions.
“We have the instruction of the Home Builder Association of Nigeria to bring to the notice of Nigerians that the Minister, Nyesom Wike has been involved in illegal demolition of properties in Sabon Lugbe.
“Our clients have all the necessary title documents to Sabon Lugbe Abuja. Before they started the projects, they got building permits from the Development Control Unit of the FCT administration.
“It is on record that before development control will issue any permit, it will liaise with the Urban and Regional Planning, who will verify whether the applicant is actually the real owner of the property he wants to develop and payment were made to the said development control.
‘However, to the surprise of everybody, the Minister, without notice to anybody and our clients and by executive fiat, directed the said Development Control to go to Sabon Lugbe to destroy properties worth over N200 billion.
“As we speak today, the said demolition has rendered many Nigerians homeless because people were resident in the said place, and today, they are homeless.
“There is no order from any competent court from the FCT. As at today, even when the Minister was aware that the said area has become a subject of litigation, he has been served the said processes, but in his characteristic manner of being a tyrant and someone who doesn’t care about institutions, gone ahead to demolish the estate.
“And of note, what Nigerians should know is that the reason behind the said demolition is because the Honorable Minister is interested in allocating that same said place to other developers.
“As we speak today, the internet is awash with the news of the same place being allocated to another developer. And the said offer was made to the new developers om 31st of October 2024, just yesterday.
“So which means the Honorable Minister, at the beginning has ulterior motive in demolishing those areas, because he wants to re-allocate that place to his friends and to his colleagues. Why will the Honorable Minister, who is not just a lawyer, but is a life member of Body of Benchers, can do such a thing?.
“We wonder why the Honorable Minister will go ahead to allocate a place that is a subject of litigation in court, when he knows that by the doctrine of Liz pendis, that he should not do anything that will foist a faith accompli on the court.
“The Honorable Minister has shown disdain to the court. They will always refer Nigerians to go to court go to court and Nigerians have now gone to court to seek redress for the illegal demolition carried out by the Honorable Minister.
“That is why we are here, to inform the gentlemen of the press, because we know that that once the information has gotten to you, that the information will be properly disseminated to the nooks and crannies of this country and even beyond, that the Honorable Minister should be called to order, so that he will not invite chaos in the FCT,” Agu said.
He added: “So we are calling on President Bola Tinubu, who appointed Wike, to call him to order or to remove him from being the Minister of the FCT, because what he is doing is giving him a bad name.
“We are calling the international community; we are calling well-meaning Nigerians to get into this matter so that it will not degenerate into chaos, which, at the end of the day, Nigerians will suffer for it.”
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