Wike Orders Demolition of Illegal Embassy Land Structures

Abuja, Nigeria – Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike ordered the demolition of buildings illegally constructed on land allocated to foreign embassies in the diplomatic zone of Katampe Extension on Friday, following the arrest of a developer accused of seizing the plots without authorization.

The land, originally designated on March 18, 2008, for residential purposes of several diplomatic missions and a power station, had been overtaken by an individual who began development without approval from the Federal Capital Development Authority, officials said. Wike directed the FCT's Department of Development Control to remove all structures and restore the site, emphasizing that such land invasions undermine planned urban development. "This land was allocated to various embassies. Somebody just came here, took the land, and started developing it on their own without approval from the FCDA. We cannot allow this kind of land invasion to continue," Wike told journalists during an inspection tour of ongoing infrastructure projects across Abuja.

The affected plots include allocations to the embassies of Thailand, Bulgaria, Syria, Somalia, Serbia and Montenegro, Japan, Austria,...