Senate orders Wike to halt further Abuja house demolitions…..Wike adamant, insist on more demolitions
The Senate on Thursday directed the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to immediately halt all ongoing property demolitions in Abuja.
This resolution followed concerns over alleged irregularities and hardships caused by the demolitions.
In addition, the Senate summoned the minister to appear before an ad hoc committee formed to investigate the demolition activities.
The committee, chaired by Deputy Senate President Senator Jibrin Barau, has been given two weeks to submit its findings.
The decision was prompted by a motion raised by Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP – FCT) during plenary, which was seconded by Senator Natasha Akpabio-Uduaghan (PDP – Kogi Central).
While reading the resolution, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, emphasised the importance of halting demolitions until proper investigations are conducted.
He said, “The Senate urges the Federal Capital Development Authority to stop further demolitions of structures, except those ordered by courts of competent jurisdiction, until the ad hoc committee concludes its investigation and interfaces with the FCT administration within the next two weeks.”
In her lead debate, Senator Kingibe raised concerns about the demolition exercise, noting it often deviated from due process.
She argued that affected individuals had suffered immense losses due to demolitions that appeared unjustified.
She said,“In recent times, the demolition exercise in the FCT was no longer based on reasons that necessitated the demolition. A cross-section of individuals have suffered untold hardships occasioned by massive demolition, which has led to a loss of properties worth billions of naira.”
Kingibe specifically highlighted the ongoing revocation and demolition of Messrs Paulosa Estate, chaired by the late Colonel Paul Osakpawan Ogbebor.
According to her, the land had been properly allocated to him in 1984, with all requisite documentation.
She urged the Senate to resolve that demolitions should only proceed in line with due process and called for an investigation into the matter.
During the debate, Senator Karimi Sunday (APC – Kogi West) argued against halting demolitions without first hearing from the FCT minister.
He said, “We need to investigate this matter before giving any directive. We must hear from the minister. You cannot shave a man’s head at his back.”
However, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire (APC – Ondo Central), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters, disagreed.
He supported the motion to stop the demolitions, emphasising fairness and the need to avoid irreversible actions during the investigation.
“Are we saying that we should allow the place to be demolished while we are trying to look into it? What is fair is to say stop the situation today and let us investigate,” Adegbonmire argued.
Backing Adegbonmire’s stance, Akpabio stated, “If we just say, continue the demolition, and then we start investigating, what are we then investigating? It’s important for us to ensure that demolitions are in the best interest of Nigerians and follow proper procedures.”
The Senate resolved to urge the FCT minister to halt further demolitions and tasked the ad hoc committee to ensure a thorough investigation.
The committee comprises notable senators, including Deputy Senate Leader Senator Oyelola Ashir, Chief Whip Senator Tahir Monguno, and others, who are expected to present their findings within two weeks.
Meanwhile, Wike, on Thursday, stated that his administration would not be blackmailed by allegations of land grabbing in the discharge of its duties.
The minister, speaking at the handover of 50 operational vehicles to security agencies in the FCT on Thursday, insisted that the FCT Administration would not overlook land contraventions by anyone, irrespective of who they were.
The PUNCH reported that a controversial social media influencer and critic, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, had accused the FCT Minister of revoking land titles belonging to Paullosa Nigeria Ltd and reallocating it to Saravera Nigeria Limited and the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda.
Wike said in spite of social media critics accusing him of giving out land to his kinsman, he would not be deterred in doing what was best for the FCT.
“Let me use this opportunity to tell Nigerians and residents of Abuja, that we are not afraid of blackmail, particularly as regards this Abuja, there are so many land grabbers.
“We will stop anybody who thinks that they can obtain government land for whatever reason, without formal approval. We will not look at your face.
“If you like, you can be a civil rights activist. If you like, you can be a television talker; what is wrong is wrong.
“People take government property without approval, without documents. And I have told people that there was a government yesterday that did not take any steps does not mean that another government will come today and will not take steps.
“You are a squatter. You tell people to beg me, then you go on television to tell people that they came to take your land, and you said the land was allocated to a Rivers man. So what?
“A Rivers man is not entitled to have a land in Abuja? You tell me who is that person that is entitled to have a land in Abuja,” he said.
The minister also warned those who owed ground rents in the FCT to pay up or risk their titles being revoked.
“All those who have not paid, who thought we were joking, I will revoke all. I am going to do it. You think nothing will happen, something will happen.
“Go and check your records. If you have not paid, I will give you time to pay. But once the time expires, I will revoke it, and allocate it to those who will pay,” he said.
Wike also said his administration would hand over 12 new police divisions to the FCT Commissioner of Police before April 2025.
The minister, who emphasised security as the priority of any government, said the construction of the new police divisions was ongoing across the six area councils of the FCT, in response to the request of the Commissioner of Police.
He urged the security agencies to utilise the vehicles, particularly in the rural areas, to ensure the safety of residents during and after the Yuletide.
“The Commissioner of Police requested for additional police divisions and I told the CP we will do it.
“As I speak to you now, it’s ongoing, 12 police divisions, it’s ongoing in the six area councils.
“By the grace of God, before April next year, we believe those police divisions would have been finished and furnished, and equipped, and then we will hand it over to the Commissioner of Police.
“Like I said last time, we must not give space. We must not allow these criminals to strike before we go in. We have to take the war to them. Let them know that we are serious,” he said.
Speaking on the Christmas and New Year festivities, he charged the police not to allow any gap.
“During this Yuletide period, make sure that we don’t give them any gap. I don’t want anybody to say because there was no vehicle before we could reach there, something has happened. No,” he said.
Wike also stated that the FCT Administration had provided 50 vehicles for federal security agencies in Abuja, earlier in the year, making a total of 100 operational vehicles, noting that no state had done the same within the time frame.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, who spoke on behalf of all security agencies, thanked the minister for the provision and restated the commitment of the agencies to providing a safe and secure environment for residents.
“As we accept these vehicles, we assure you sir that they will be deployed effectively and efficiently to boost our security efforts.
“Our commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for all residents remains our highest priority.
“We understand the challenges that lie ahead, and with this generous contribution, we are better equipped to face them,” he said.
He added that in collaboration with sister agencies, “we will utilise these resources to strengthen our response time to incidents, enhance our visibility in the communities, and foster trust and cooperation between law enforcement and the public.
“We recognise that security is a shared responsibility, and we are dedicated to working alongside the community to create an environment where everyone feels safe.”
Of the 50 vehicles, 25 were allocated to the FCT command of the Nigeria Police Force; five each to the FCT Department of State Services, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, and the Nigerian Army Guards Brigade.
Two vehicles each were donated to the Abuja Naval Unit and Nigeria Air Force Camp, Abuja; while the remaining six were allocated to the departments and agencies of the FCT.
