The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Wednesday, halted construction at River Park Estate, Abuja, in line with a ministerial directive stopping further development on the property.
The Director of the Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who led the operation, said the exercise was aimed at ensuring “total compliance” with the directive issued by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, following findings from an ad-hoc committee that reviewed the controversies surrounding the estate.
“We are here to ensure total compliance with the ministerial directive that no development should be allowed in the River Park Estate,” Galadima stated.
He explained that despite previous enforcement exercises at the site, reports had reached the department that construction was ongoing, which prompted another intervention.
“We got a report that there is an ongoing development. That’s why we rushed to ensure that the development is stopped and the structure being put should be removed,” he said.
When asked if repeated visits were draining government resources, Galadima revealed that the department was already working with the FCT Legal Secretariat to commence legal proceedings against the defaulters.
“We’re liaising with our Legal Secretariat to see that this action is taken up legally so that we don’t come back again,” he noted.
He also dismissed insinuations that the developer was beyond government control, insisting that “nobody is above the law.”
“Maybe there’s a perception that he can do as he pleases, but you see, nobody is above government. We have done the kinetic aspect; now we are taking it up legally to ensure that we don’t come back again,” he added.
Galadima confirmed that the developer had been duly informed of the directive through both the ministerial committee’s findings and extensive public communication.
“He’s very much aware because there was wide publicity that a ministerial committee had recommended and the Minister approved that, for now, no further development should take place. All vacant plots should be reverted to the FCT Administration,” Galadima clarified.
The enforcement action follows a ministerial decision announced on August 8, 2025, when Wike inaugurated an Ad-hoc Committee to review ownership and development controversies within River Park Estate.
The committee’s report cited the expiration and breach of the Development Lease Agreement (DLA) as justification for revoking undeveloped plots, and emphasised the need to “reassert administrative control” over affected areas in line with Clause 9.2 of the DLA.
However, the report allowed that holders of previous “customary” titles who had developed their plots in accordance with planning regulations could retain ownership, which aligns with a subsisting court judgment referenced in the findings.
This is the third enforcement visit by the FCTA in recent months. In September, officials halted the development of more than 30 substructures at the estate for similar violations and accused developers of continuing construction despite the withdrawal of their lease agreements.
Galadima said the next line of action would depend on legal consultations for possible penalties for persistent defiance.
“At this moment, I can’t say anything because, as I said earlier, I’m going to consult the Legal Secretariat on what the next line of action should be taken,” he said.
NewsNGR reports that the FCTA has repeatedly warned that all undeveloped plots within River Park Estate stand revoked, and reiterated that any further activity would be deemed illegal.
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