FCTA Unearths Illegal Estate Developments in Abuja
By: Wisdom Acka
The Federal Capital Territory Adminstration (FCTA) has discovered several unapproved plots set aside by illegal developers for proposed estates.
Director, FCT Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who revealed this said that land speculators were moving into the undeveloped areas of the Idu Industrial layout and allocating plots to themselves without the right approval from government.
Galadima said that most of the proposed estate lands around the Hikimi village, Idu, were at the excavation and fence levels, with gate houses erected on some of them.
The director, who spoke with journalists after removal of the perimeter fences, regretted that the land grappers have become so brazen to advertise on social media and conventional platforms.
He, however, vowed that the FCT Administration will go all out to check the activities of illegal developers and land grabbers who are making money off unsuspecting Nigerians.
His words: “About a month ago we intimated the citizens about the rising cases of land grabbing in the FCT, particularly the social media platforms to advertise their commodities.“
“Today, we are at Idu Train Station where we have seen instances of people just coming to parcel land, allocate it to themselves without recourse to government concerned. That’s why we have to make good our promise that we have to it real and that’s why we are here this morning to make it real,” he said.
The Director explained that the oldest marking has been since 2019 and since then the plot has not been developed.
“You can see see how the whole place has been fenced by these grabbers so we have to nib it in the bud. The estates involved in this illegal activities are numerous. They just grab parcels land and fence them. But this is just the beginning. Tomorrow we will reinforce and come back in full force with heavy duty equipment to do the work,” Galadima warned.
The Director noted that most of the estates were at the stage of fencing and excavating; adding that their advertisement have been widely spread.
“Like we have been creating awareness, we advise people not to buy land on social media but go through the right channels to get their land because “the administration is committed to see that we have done away with this illegalities,” he emphasized.
