Nyesom Wike

A building next to the Abuja residence of the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila has been demolished by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The action by Wike was said to be devoid of prior notice of demolition and in direct violation of a court judgment on the matter.

The expansive property located within the Cadastral Zone of the Maitama District, Abuja, was said to have been demolished on Thursday, September 28, 2023.

Sources told ThisDay that the property had been there long before Gbajabiamila assumed occupancy of his ultra-modern property in 2019 when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives.

It was also gathered that the topmost floor of the property before it was pulled down, was said to be overlooking the private swimming pool on Gbajabiamila’s property.

However, the owner of the property, an Abuja firm, Shrodder Nigeria Limited, has sent a letter to President Bola Tinubu to accuse Wike of acting with impunity and in total disregard of a valid order of court.

In a letter dated September 26, through its lawyer, Jeph Njikonye (SAN), the firm stated that the demolition of the property was without prior notice of infraction.

The dispute over the land began on October 4, 2022, when the former Minister of the FCT, Muhammad Bello, and officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCTA) invaded the property.

It was gathered that a day after the invasion, Bello gave an order to the FCDA to seal off the property and also deposited a detachment of mobile policemen to lock out construction workers from gaining entry into the property.

According to documents, the sealing-off of the property was without prior notice of infraction.

Consequently, the owners of the property caused a legal action of trespass and unlawful occupation against the Minister of the FCT and the FCDA, in suit number FCT/HC/CV/3449/2022 between Shrodder Nigeria Limited and Minister of FCT before Justice Abubakar Musa of High Court of the FCT.

In his judgment on April 4, this year, Justice Musa restrained the defendants from further interfering with the 1st Claimant’s lawful use, quiet possession, and occupation of the plot.

According to the court, the forceful takeover and occupation of the property by the defendants of the plot on October 5, 2022, constitutes an act of trespass.

“That the defendants are hereby ordered to vacate, with immediate effect, the Claimant’s property, unseal the property and remove forthwith the mobile policemen they had unlawfully and illegally installed on the property since on the 5th day of October 2022”, the judge held.

It was gathered that neither the Minister of the FCT nor the FCDA appealed the judgment of the High Court.

Although the FCDA refused to comply with the order of the court to remove the seal order on the property, a new twist was made to the controversy when on September 19, Wike invaded the property with bulldozers to bring it down.