Wike orders arrest of developer over structures on diplomatic land in Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the arrest of a property developer, Alhaji Kabiru Sahara, over the alleged illegal development of residential buildings on land originally allocated for diplomatic missions in Abuja.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the minister, Lere Olayinka, Wike also directed the demolition of all structures erected on the disputed land.

According to the statement, the affected plots are located within the Diplomatic Zone in Katampe Extension in the Federal Capital Territory and were allocated in 2008 to 10 foreign embassies and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria for diplomatic residential purposes and the construction of a 132/133KV power station.

The statement listed the diplomatic missions that were allocated the plots to include Thailand, Bulgaria, Syria, Somalia, Serbia and Montenegro, Japan, Austria, Switzerland, Senegal and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

However, the FCT Administration alleged that the land was taken over by the developer, who reportedly erected residential buildings on the plots without approval from the Federal Capital Development Authority.

“However, a certain property developer took over the land and erected buildings without approval from the Federal Capital Development Authority. Despite repeated warnings, the developer, one Alhaji Kabiru Sahara, kept erecting residential buildings, boasting that nothing would happen,” the statement read.

Olayinka added that the minister had now ordered the arrest of the developer and the demolition of all the illegal structures on the land.