Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) have taken responsibility for the incident that occurred on Tuesday, at a disputed site on Plot 1946 Gaduwa District, involving the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and a naval officer, Lt. A.M Yerima.

A video showing Wike being blocked by naval officers from accessing a disputed property linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd), had gone viral.

But the Director of the FCTA Department of Development Control, Tpl Mukhtar Galadima, while providing a detailed account of events and clarifying the legality of the ongoing development, expressed regret over the incident.

Galadima, who spoke to journalists after the FCT Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting, recounted the tense encounter and issued a formal apology for dragging the Minister into the matter.

He said: “It is with a sense of commitment, emotion and regret that we address this press conference on the incident that happened on Tuesday, 11th of November, 2025, at the Gaduwa District.

“On the 17th of October, staff of the Department of Development Control on routine monitoring of ongoing development within the respective districts of the Federal Capital City noticed an ongoing development within the corridor of the Southern Parkway and when enquiring the necessary approval status and documents, they were met by stiff resistance and threat to shoot by men of the Nigerian Navy.

“The matter was reported to me on the 18th. I appealed to a colleague and course mate and naval officer, to intervene and prevail on the officers on site to attend to our request. So the request was granted”.

Galadima explained that the officers on site claimed all their approvals were with their lawyers and engineers, and that what was eventually provided was merely a letter of intent issued in 2007 by the Department of Parks and Recreation, not a formal approval.

“We came back on Monday, the same site, I met the officer, Navy Lieutenant Yarima, and I appealed to him, please, if you have this approval, show it to us, because what was sent to us is not an approval, it’s just a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation.

“So, while this discussion was going on, the lawyer came. And the lawyer said, no, the next solution is the Department of Development Control. I said, as a lawyer, there is a clear difference between submission and approval, and you know it is illegal within the prohibitions of the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992 to commence development in the Federal Capital Territory without approval. He said he’s aware, but the solution is under process. I said, then this development is illegal”, he added.

Galadima said he sent a distress call to the Minister due to the presence of armed men on site, which led to the public confrontation.

He apologised to the Minister and to Nigerians for the tense situation, while reinforcing that the development was unauthorized.

The director said; “I want to sincerely apologize to the Honorable Minister for dragging him into this situation on that fateful Tuesday. On that fateful Tuesday, when we were there to enforce the directive of the Honorable Minister, we noticed the impending danger because armed men were strategically positioned, ready to shoot.

“And seeing this, I sent a distress call to the Honorable Minister to come to the site for an on-the-spot assessment. And on getting there, that ugly incident happened, which I’m really sorry to the Honorable Minister, I apologize to the Honorable Minister, indeed to all Nigerians for what happened”.

The Director however emphasised that the enforcement was consistent with the laws governing urban development and land use in the FCT, including the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992.

The Director of Lands Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, while providing further context on the legal status of the land and why the development could not proceed, maintained that the claimants had no statutory title to the property.

He explained that they were relying on an 18-year-old letter of intent from the Department of Parks and Recreation, which merely allowed them to manage and operate a designated park site, but did not confer any legal right of occupancy or approval to build.

“The claimants have relied on a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation in 2007, 18 years ago, to develop, manage and operate a designated park site. Letter of intent, not statutory right of occupancy. I wish to make it clear that in the FCT, the only thing that gives you title to land is statutory right of occupancy. Letter of intent is not a title.

“Since having not submitted a detailed technical proposal, no lease agreement was given to him. He did not develop and complete development on the site within one year as he didn’t build anything by 2008.”

Nwankwoeze further stated that the letter of intent carried strict conditions, including submission of a detailed technical proposal within 21 days and completion of development within a year—none of which were met by the claimants.

He said; “All they did was after all of those papers were withdrawn, they moved into those sites and started building illegally. Beyond not having title, in Abuja you cannot build anything without approval of the plans you submitted. Because the Department of Development Control will look at your design proposal and certify and ascertain that what you propose to develop is in line with the dictates of the master plan”.

The officials stressed that their interventions were necessary to uphold the rule of law and proper urban planning, while also acknowledging the disruption caused to the Minister and the public perception of the incident. (The Nation)