'Naval Officers Threatened To Shoot My Team'

‘Naval Officers Threatened To Shoot My Team’ – FCTA Director Alleges
FCTA confirms developers lacked valid land title or development approval.
Authorities insist Santos Estate has no legal claim to disputed land.

Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration have detailed how armed naval personnel allegedly threatened to open fire on staff of the Development Control Department during a routine enforcement operation at Gaduwa District in Abuja.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the confrontation happened on Tuesday when officials moved to seal what authorities described as an illegal construction site said to be linked to a former Chief of Naval Staff.

Speaking at the FCTA Executive Council meeting, Director of Development Control Mukhtar Galadima said his team visited the site to verify title documents and building approvals but were met with hostility. He explained that armed operatives positioned around the location refused to provide any legal documents and allegedly threatened to shoot his officers when asked to justify the construction taking place along the Southern Parkway corridor. He said the team retreated only after alerting the Minister for an urgent assessment.

Galadima noted that the developers could not produce any valid title or approval. He recalled that the construction was first discovered during a monitoring exercise on October 17, and that the developers initially claimed their documents were with their lawyers and engineers. When pressed, the only paper forwarded was a 2007 letter of intent for the development and maintenance of a park allocated to Santos Estate Village, which he said did not confer ownership or development rights.

He added that the matter was escalated to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, after attempts to secure compliance failed. Galadima said he acted swiftly due to safety concerns for his officers, citing previous cases where enforcement personnel were attacked or killed during similar operations. He apologised to Nigerians for the incident but maintained that the development remained illegal.

Supporting the position of the Development Control team, the Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, explained that Santos Estate Limited never possessed a statutory land title for the disputed plot. He clarified that a letter of intent is not a title document and only grants temporary access, subject to strict conditions. He added that all such letters of intent issued to park operators were withdrawn in June 2025 following a policy review approved by the minister.

He said some allottees, including Santos Estate, still proceeded to occupy the sites and attempted to convert them into residential estates and hotels, contrary to the designated land use. Nwankwoeze concluded that the company had no legal basis for its claims and that any construction on the land was unlawful.