FCTA stops ‘illegal’ development at River Park Estate

The Authority of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has stopped the improvement of much than 30 sub-structures astatine the River Park Estate for allegedly violating readying regulations.

The medication accused the affected developers of going up with operation contempt the withdrawal of their lease statement and recommendations by a ministerial committee that each undeveloped plots successful the property beryllium reverted to the FCTA.

Recall that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had connected August 8, 2025, inaugurated an ad-hoc committee connected the reappraisal of controversies surrounding the River Park Estate.

The Barr. Salman Dako led the committee portion submitting its study to the Minister past week, explained that the revocation of the undeveloped plots was necessitated by the expiration and breach of the DLA and the request to reassert administrative power implicit the affected crippled successful enactment with Clause 9.2 of the Development Lease Agreement (DLA).

The committee, however, directed that holders of erstwhile “customary” titles whose plots autumn wrong the River Park Estate boundaries and who person developed successful accordance with applicable readying and improvement power regulations, “be permitted to clasp their titles. This proposal aligns with the subsisting tribunal judgement referenced successful paragraph 16.3.”

Meanwhile, the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who led enforcement officers to the tract connected Wednesday, said the enactment followed reports that the developers were moving time and nighttime to bushed the directive.

According to him, “About a week ago, determination was an lawsuit astatine the Honourable Minister’s bureau wherever 2 committees submitted their reports. One of the committees was connected issues surrounding the River Park Estate development. And 1 of the recommendations was that each undeveloped plots wrong the estates beryllium reverted backmost to FCTA.

“So we got a study that definite developers are hurriedly moving time and nighttime to spot that they person developed immoderate of the vacant plots. So what we bash arsenic an bureau we service them announcement to halt work. This greeting we came, we saw them working, past that’s wherefore we are removing the structures. The excavations and each those structures enactment connected the ground.”

Galadima disclosed that implicit 30 foundations had already been dug, but insisted they would beryllium covered.

He warned that, “Whatever we spot connected site, we region it. So this is conscionable the beginning. Luckily, they are conscionable astatine excavation level, but wherever we spot immoderate caller improvement coming up, we volition region it”.

On claims that Paulo Homes was down the development, Galadima said the substance would beryllium clarified by the ineligible secretariat.

“From the study submitted from the enactment of the committee, it’s similar one, determination was a improvement lease statement which has already expired,” helium explained.

He added that further amerciable gathering attempts would not beryllium tolerated.

The Director hinted that, “Over 30 foundations person been excavated, truthful we’re going to screen them all. Should determination beryllium an erection again, past there’s going to beryllium removal again,” helium said, noting that prosecution could follow.

“That’s wherefore I said ineligible secretariat is successful a amended presumption to cognize the adjacent enactment of action. There could beryllium prosecution. Definitely, we’re expecting that radical volition outcry out. Naturally.”

Some residents said they were already bearing the brunt of the crisis.

An affected resident, Pastor Chimdi Obwe, who lives successful the adjoining Ciarudi area, said helium had been denied entree to his location by the developer, and mislaid portion of his property.

“I was stopped from accessing my location for a agelong time. Because of these things they (Paulo Homes) are doing here, the exit they gave us, they abruptly blocked it. And you spot my children, however we had to spell done that benignant of detail. My obstruction was demolished. Now I can’t thrust to my house. I person to parkland determination and trek due to the fact that the entree roadworthy is blocked. So that was the problem,” helium lamented.

The station FCTA stops ‘illegal’ improvement astatine River Park Estate appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.