The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has established a Committee on the Review of Land Uses/Purpose Clauses of Land and Properties at Locations Overtaken by Commercial and Other Activities.
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, appointed the Director of Development Control as Chairman. Other members include the Director of Land Administration; Director of Surveying and Mapping; Director of Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS); Director of Engineering Services; and the Director of Urban and Regional Planning, who will serve as Secretary.
Wike directed the committee to identify areas with gross violations of the Land Use Act and make appropriate recommendations. Some of the areas listed for review include the Central Business District, Maitama, Asokoro, and Garki.
In addition, the Minister constituted another committee to address issues affecting River Park Estate.
Members of the River Park committee include the FCT General Counsel/Secretary, Legal Services Secretariat (Chairman); Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Lands, Urban and Regional Planning; Deputy Director of Lands; Director of Security; Director of Development Control; and the Director of AGIS. The Legal Services Secretariat will provide the secretary for the committee.
The crisis surrounding River Park Estate is a complex legal and corporate dispute involving allegations of fraud, forgery, and land grabbing.
At the heart of the matter are claims that three Ghanaian nationals and a Nigerian accomplice used forged documents and falsified signatures to unlawfully take control of JonahCapital Nigeria Limited and its assets, which include significant interests in River Park Estate.
The crisis also includes a contested ownership claim over portions of the estate. JonahCapital Nigeria Limited, the company at the center of the fraud allegations, is engaged in a separate dispute with other parties, including Dunamis International Church, which is accused of unlawfully taking possession of parts of the estate for a parking lot. The church, however, maintains that it occupies land lawfully allocated to it.
The Nigeria Police Force has been actively involved in the case, investigating the corporate fraud allegations and filing criminal charges against the accused individuals.
However, the police have also been accused of harassment and intimidation by the Ghanaian businessmen, who in turn have filed lawsuits against the police and other government agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for alleged fundamental rights violations.
As a result of the multiple lawsuits, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending the final determination of the substantive suits.
The court order seeks to prevent any further actions that could alter the subject matter of the dispute, such as the processing of key land documents like the Right of Occupancy (R of O) and Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).
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