By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), under the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has given a developer a 48 hours ultimate to pull down all illegal structures on green areas in Utako, or face total demolition of such structures if he refuses to appear for verification.
The leader of the demolition team, the Coordinator of AMMC, Chief Felix Obuah, speaking at the site on Thursday in Abuja, disclosed the developer’s deviant attitude towards presenting legal documents for verification, but he continued building.
“When we invited the developer to provide legal documents for the activities he’s carrying out, we discovered there was no paper, no approval, no allocation.”
“I asked him to stop working, but he refused. The only language he will hear now is demolition. Everything you see here will go down”, Obuah said.
Obuah issued gave a 48-hour deadline, and warned, “I’ve directed the developer to come to my office by 10 a.m. tomorrow for verification. If he fails to appear, we will move in with our machines and clear the area.”
According to the AMMC Chairman, the illegal construction is like a direct violation of the Abuja Master Plan and a serious threat to public safety, as it encroaches on a drainage channel.
“This is a waterway. If we allow this to continue, the entire area will be flooded, and people’s lives and properties will be at risk. That’s why we must act decisively.”
Obuah stressed that the FCT Administration, under the leadership of the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, is committed to sticking to the order by preventing unregulated development across Abuja.
“We are matching the Minister’s vision with action. Our job at AMMC is to sanitize the city, and we will not back down.”
He also confirmed that similar enforcement operations are ongoing in three other parts of the capital, targeting land grabbers and unapproved developments. “This is not an isolated case. Wherever people have built illegally, we will bring those structures down. There is no going back.”
He gave assurances that no effort or cost will be spared in protecting the lives of residents and maintaining the integrity of the city’s environmental and planning systems.
“Any amount spent to prevent disaster is worthwhile. We’re here to restore sanity, prevent flooding, and enforce the law.”
He warned defaulters, “We are not taking it lightly anymore. If you don’t have valid approval, take this as your final warning Abuja is not for lawlessness.”
Also speaking, Tpl. Mukhtar Galadima emphasized the Council’s zero-tolerance stance against land encroachment and unauthorized development, adding that his department had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to a developer in the Wumba District to report to his office with valid title documents or face full demolition.
“We invited the developer to provide legal documents. There was nothing, no approval, no allocation. Instead of stopping, work continued, so we had no choice but to act,” Galadima warned.
He further disclosed that the enforcement would continue intensely across the city.
“Abuja must be guided by its Master Plan. Wherever violations exist, be it green areas, flood plains, or road corridors, we will reclaim them. Illegal developers must understand that the only language we speak now is compliance,” Galadima said. “We will not allow impunity. If you do not have the legal backing for your structure, it is coming down”, Galadima said.
On his part of Engr. Osilama Braimah noted that the consequences of illegal developments go beyond building violations, they threaten the city’s climate and public health.”
“Every district must have recreational areas and parks. These spaces provide microclimate relief. Unfortunately, cutting down trees and replacing them with concrete has serious consequences,” he warned.
He highlighted the importance of green areas in the city as not optional luxuries, but critical environmental buffers.
“Abuja wasn’t this hot 10–15 years ago. When you replace green cover with concrete, it traps heat and increases urban temperatures.”
Braimah lamented the indiscriminate violations which often goes unchecked until it results in significant environmental damage has occurred.
“When concrete covers everything, it prevents percolation, leading to flooding and groundwater depletion. Roofs and roads compound this effect,” he explained.
He emphasized the importance of protecting green spaces, which ensures water retention, healthier boreholes, and a balanced environment.
“This city is governed by law. We won’t allow unapproved developments to override Abuja’s environmental integrity,” he further warned.
Also, Tpl. Chinemelu Echee pointed at the aesthetics of the environment, he said, “If you look around these facilities, you’d see it’s surrounded by hills, rocks, and beautiful trees. This is the natural terrain designed for recreation.
“These are spaces meant to serve the estates nearby places where families come to relax and breathe. Yet, what we are witnessing is the destruction of the ecosystem without any authorization.”
He warned, ” illegal developments in places like Wumba District Park are disasters waiting to happen.”
“These hills and trees are supposed to cool the environment and help mitigate global warming, but instead, they’re being wiped out,”
The area bears the features of a recreation zone, yet developers have moved in without any valid allocation. Everything here is illegal. If it had a name or legal allocation, we would know. We’re not only halting the destruction, we’re reversing it,” he said.
However, Alhaji Musa Saliu, the developer of the disputed Katampe plot, insists that the land was legally allocated by the FCT Minister in 2007 to Farmer Service Nigeria Limited.
“This is Plot 806, Katampe. It was genuinely allocated, and I have been paying my ground rent,” he affirmed.
Although the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) issued a stop-work directive, Saliu claimed he was only just informed by the coordinator. “I will comply, stop the work, and tender my documents for verification. If it’s not under contest, I will proceed with my development”, he said.
On the ownership conflict on the land , Saliu explained that someone else had previously tried to claim the land and even obtained an approval from Development Control. “That individual brought officials here, along with the district head, but I pointed out that the land belongs to my family,” he said.
He explained that he has being paying the Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O), in parts, which is a common process, adding the land issue is in court, but the defendant has since refused to show up in court.
Finally, the developer in a submissive tone said, “If the FCT wants to take the property, so be it. I am not God.”
End
