Land Dispute: Armed soldiers threatened to shoot us, FCT officials allege

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA have recounted how armed naval personnel allegedly threatened to shoot staff of the Development Control department during a lawful enforcement exercise at Gaduwa District, Abuja.

The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, involved the attempted sealing of an illegal construction site reportedly linked to an ex-Naval chief.

Speaking during an Executive Council meeting of the FCTA in Abuja, the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, said the confrontation arose when his team visited the site to verify title documents and building approvals for an ongoing project along the Southern Parkway corridor.

Galadima, who expressed deep regret over the development, said his officers were met with stiff resistance and threats of gunfire from armed of the Nigerian Navy.

He noted that despite appeals to the officers to produce legal documents authorizing the development, none was presented.

Galadima narrated that on October 17, his team discovered the ongoing construction during a routine monitoring exercise and demanded evidence of approval from those on site.

“They told us all their title documents and approvals were with their lawyers and engineers.

“When I insisted on seeing the documents, the engineer later sent what turned out to be a mere letter of intent for the development and maintenance of a park allocated to Santos Estate Village in 2007. That is not a title document or an approval”, he said.

He further revealed that after several attempts to get compliance failed, he reported the matter to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who instructed the department to ensure the developers halted construction and obeyed the law.

Galadima said the decision to alert the minister to visit the site personally stemmed from fears that his men might be attacked, recalling past instances where Development Control staff were assaulted or killed while carrying out demolition or enforcement duties.

“We noticed armed men strategically positioned, ready to shoot. That was why I called the Honourable Minister for an on-the-spot assessment. I apologize sincerely to him and to all Nigerians for the unfortunate incident, but the development in question remains illegal because there is no title or approval backing it”, he said.

Corroborating the account, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, clarified that Santos Estate Limited had no valid title to the disputed land.

He explained that the only document the company possessed was a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation in 2007, which merely permitted preliminary site negotiations, not ownership or development rights.

“In the FCT, the only document that gives title to land is a statutory right of occupancy. A letter of intent is not a title. It only allows temporary access to the land for specific purposes, in this case, to manage and operate a designated park site”, he said.

He disclosed that the letter of intent issued to Santos Estate came with clear conditions, including the submission of a detailed technical design proposal within 21 days and the completion of development within one year after approval.

However, the company failed to meet these requirements, as its first submission was made two years later and subsequently rejected.

He added that the Department of Parks and Recreation later reviewed its entire system of land allocations and, in June 2025, recommended the withdrawal of all such letters of intent, a decision approved by the FCT Minister.

He explained that despite the withdrawal, some of the allottees, including Santos Estate, had moved into the areas to erect housing estates and hotels – developments entirely incompatible with the original land use designation for parks.

“The claims by Santos about ownership are false. They neither have a statutory right of occupancy nor development approval. What they possess was revoked, and their attempt to convert the area for residential and commercial use was rejected years ago”, he stated.

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