Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have accepted responsibility for the confrontation that occurred on Tuesday at a disputed site on Plot 1946, Gaduwa District, involving FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and a naval officer, Lt. A.M. Yerima.
A video of naval personnel blocking the minister from accessing the property — reportedly linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd) — had circulated widely on social media.
Addressing journalists after the FCT Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting, Director of the Department of Development Control, Tpl Mukhtar Galadima, offered a comprehensive explanation of the events leading to the clash and apologised for the minister’s involvement.
Galadima said: “It is with a sense of commitment, emotion and regret that we address this press conference on the incident that happened on Tuesday, 11th of November, 2025, at the Gaduwa District.”
He explained that FCTA officials first noticed the construction on October 17 during routine monitoring. When they requested approval documents, naval personnel allegedly threatened to open fire.
The matter was escalated the following day, and after intervention by a senior naval colleague, documents were presented. However, Galadima said the only document provided was a 2007 letter of intent from the Department of Parks and Recreation not an approval.
He said: “We came back on Monday, the same site, I met the officer, Navy Lieutenant Yarima, and I appealed to him, please, if you have this approval, show it to us, because what was sent to us is not an approval, it’s just a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation.”
He added that the claimants’ lawyer admitted the necessary processes were still incomplete.
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Galadima said he called the minister to the site due to the presence of armed officers, which ultimately led to the public confrontation captured on video.
The FCTA director apologised, saying: “I want to sincerely apologize to the Honorable Minister for dragging him into this situation… armed men were strategically positioned, ready to shoot… I apologise to the Honorable Minister, indeed to all Nigerians for what happened.”
He stressed that the enforcement aligned with the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992, which prohibit development without formal approval.
Providing further clarity, Director of Lands Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, said the claimants had no statutory title to the property.
He stated: “The claimants have relied on a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation in 2007… Letter of intent, not statutory right of occupancy. I wish to make it clear that in the FCT, the only thing that gives you title to land is statutory right of occupancy.”
Nwankwoeze noted that the letter of intent required submission of a technical proposal within 21 days and completion of development within one year — conditions the claimants never fulfilled.
He added: “All they did was after all of those papers were withdrawn, they moved into those sites and started building illegally.”
FCTA officials emphasised that their actions were necessary to protect Abuja’s master plan and uphold the rule of law, while acknowledging the public concerns raised by the incident.
