By Dalena Reporters — Abuja, Nigeria
Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have told an Executive Council meeting of a disturbing incident in the Gaduwa District of Abuja in which armed naval personnel allegedly threatened to open fire on staff from the FCTA’s Development Control Department during a lawful enforcement exercise.
During the Tuesday operation, a team from the FCTA visited a construction site along the Southern Parkway corridor to verify title documents and building approvals for what appeared to be an ongoing development linked to a former naval chief. As the inspectors demanded submission of valid documentations, they were confronted by personnel in naval uniform who, according to the FCTA’s Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, positioned themselves with weapons displayed and threatened violence if the inspection proceeded.
Galadima recounted how his team discovered the site on October 17 during routine monitoring, and requested to see title documents and building permits. The engineer on site claimed the necessary papers were held by lawyers, later presenting only a letter of intent issued in 2007 by the Department of Parks and Recreation — a document the FCTA says does not confer development rights or statutory occupancy.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, clarified that the company involved, Santos Estate Limited, lacked a valid statutory right of occupancy, which is the only recognised land title in the FCT. The 2007 letter of intent issued to the firm contained strict conditions—submission of a technical design within 21 days and completion within one year—that Santos Estate failed to meet. In June 2025 the FCTA withdrew similar allocations, yet the firm proceeded to erect housing estates and hotels on the land.
Given the reported threats of violence, Galadima said the FCTA submitted a report to the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who instructed the department to halt the development and enforce compliance with the law. He also warned that his officers feared for their safety and recalled past instances of personnel being assaulted or killed during enforcement duties.
The occurrence has stirred concern about the interplay between armed forces personnel and civilian regulatory agencies in the FCT. While the FCTA maintains this was a simple enforcement action confronted by military-style intimidation, critics say the episode points to systemic issues of land control, military involvement in land disputes, and erosion of rule of law in the federal territory.
For the FCT administration, the incident has underscored the need for stronger institutional protection for enforcement officers, clear demarcation of civilian‐military boundaries in land control, and firm governmental backing to uphold land-use laws without fear of coercion. Observers say failure to act decisively risks setting a precedent in which armed individuals—whether linked to the military or not—can disrupt regulatory enforcement through intimidation.
As the investigation proceeds, the key questions now include whether the naval personnel acted under superior directive, the validity of the contested land claim, and what legal or disciplinary actions may be taken. For now, the standoff at Gaduwa stands as a stark reminder that enforcement of land-use law in Nigeria’s capital remains a hazardous adventure.
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