Riverpark Estate: Developer defies Wike’s order, FCTA moves for legal sanctions

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: The standoff betwixt the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA and developers astatine the arguable Riverpark Estate successful Abuja escalated connected Wednesday evening arsenic officials of the Department of Development Control stormed the tract to halt what they described arsenic an amerciable operation successful defiance of a wide ministerial directive.

The Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who led the enforcement team, said the cognition became indispensable aft reports emerged that the developer had resumed enactment connected the tract contempt repeated warnings.

“We are present to guarantee full compliance with the ministerial directive that nary improvement should beryllium allowed successful the River Park Estate. We got a study that determination is an ongoing development. That’s wherefore we rushed present – to halt it and region the amerciable structure”, Galadima said.

According to him, the FCTA is nary longer relying solely connected demolition exercises to enforce compliance, but volition present prosecute ineligible sanctions against the erring developers.

“We are liaising with our Legal Secretariat to instrumentality this substance up legally truthful that we don’t person to travel backmost again. Nobody is supra government. Maybe determination is simply a cognition that helium tin bash arsenic helium pleases, but that is simply a mistake. The kinetic facet has been done; present we are moving to the ineligible option”, helium stated.

Galadima stressed that the developer had afloat cognition of the ministerial directive, which followed recommendations by an ad-hoc committee acceptable up by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, connected August 8, 2025.

The committee had indicted the developers for violating the Development Lease Agreement DLA and recommended the revocation of each undeveloped plots wrong the estate, citing some expiration of leases and breach of terms.

It besides maintained that each caller and ongoing constructions indispensable beryllium halted until ownership and compliance issues are resolved.

However, portion directing that legitimately developed “customary” plots beryllium retained by their owners, the committee advised the FCTA to reassert afloat power implicit disputed lands successful enactment with Clause 9.2 of the DLA.

Galadima disclosed that the last people of enactment volition beryllium determined aft consultations with the Legal Secretariat.

“At this infinitesimal I can’t accidental thing because, arsenic I said earlier, I’m going to consult the Legal Secretariat connected what adjacent enactment of enactment should beryllium taken,” helium said.

The station Riverpark Estate: Developer defies Wike’s order, FCTA moves for ineligible sanctions appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.