The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has justified the demolition of 11 duplexes in the Dutse District of Abuja, insisting that the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, will continue to uphold planning and land-use regulations.
Wike made the remarks on Friday during an inspection visit to Plot 189, Cadastral Zone B14, Dutse District, the site where the demolished structures were located. The land, according to the minister, belongs to the Nigerian Police Force.
The demolition, carried out on Thursday, October 16, by officials of the FCTA’s Department of Development Control, followed the discovery that the buildings were constructed under high-tension power lines and along a stream channel.
The Director of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, who supervised the operation, revealed that the Police had been denied approval for the development but proceeded with construction despite repeated stop-work notices.
Speaking during his visit, Wike described the incident as regrettable but stressed that government institutions must obey the same rules they are meant to enforce.
“Well, it’s unfortunate. Yesterday, I got a report from the development control that they have to come here to stop some buildings that are going on. You can see the high tension.
“And so that is unfortunate, it’s been built by the Nigerian Police. I’m sure the IG is not around; he may not be aware, but I have to take it up to the appropriate authority that we cannot allow this. The government is here to enforce rules. The government is not here to break the rules,” he said.
Wike added that the Police had earlier applied for construction approval, but the Development Control Department refused due to safety concerns. He disclosed that some officials of the department were arrested by police officers while carrying out the demolition.
“They applied for approval, but the Development Control said no. There’s no way they would approve. Look at where the high tension is. So, they asked them to stop, but they refused to stop. And then they have to come here to make sure that the buildings are brought down. They were arrested by the Nigerian Police. So I have to come and see things for myself,” he explained.
On his part, Galadima recounted the series of violations that led to the demolition. He said the land, allocated to the Police for institutional development in 2018, was found to be in a high-risk zone.
“We came to the site, we saw the position of the high tension, and we declined to approve. And we wrote to them that in view of the position of the high tension, we can’t approve. They went ahead, excavated, and we served them notice. They ignored the notice,” he said.
Galadima further noted that the Department of Engineering Services had also flagged the location as unsafe due to frequent flooding. He said the FCTA had no option but to act in the public interest.
“Looking at the risk involved, we can’t just fold our arms, because should anything happen, we’ll be held responsible. That’s why we had to react, and we acted yesterday,” he added.
Comments