In a recent development surrounding the contentious dispute over a 214-hectare land parcel in Abuja’s Asokoro District, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has vehemently refuted accusations of ethnic prejudice in the demolition of a property purportedly owned by Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, Chairman and CEO of the SNECOU Group Limited.
The demolition action has stirred a contentious debate, with Ukachukwu alleging that Wike’s actions lacked judicial endorsement and were motivated by his Igbo heritage.
During his monthly live media engagement, Wike offered a detailed narrative of the events that led up to the demolition.
He contended that the allocation of the land to Ukachukwu was unauthorized, occurring during a period when no acting minister was in place to sanction such transactions. This lapse, as per Wike, has enabled widespread land-grabbing activities in Abuja, facilitated by compromised officials within the land department of his ministry.
Wike underscored the intricacies of the situation, disclosing that upon assuming office, he was inundated with numerous petitions concerning land disputes.
In response, he convened a meeting with all involved parties and their legal representatives to meticulously assess each case. Resolute in tackling corruption within the land department, Wike expressed his intent to solicit guidance from external legal advisors rather than relying solely on internal counsel.
Wike stated, “I have been doing this before. I will continue to do it. And nothing will happen. Criminals are criminals. They may come in different ways. I have never seen people like land-grabbing people in this place. I came in, I met so many petitions. One company came with different petitions, with different owners of properties.”
“I summoned all of them. They came with their lawyers, senior advocates. And I said look what is this? Companies presented their own cases. Company A presented their own case, company B presented their own, company C, company D, Company E, I said okay, I am going to seek advice from external solicitors.”
He further elaborated, “I am not going to take advice from insiders, because the biggest fraud is that the land department has been compromised. I sought the views of senior lawyers and told them, we need to do things differently.”
“This land, by this so-called ethnic jingoist, was allocated when there was no minister. The minister left on May 29, 2023. By June the land was allocated by the director of lands.”
“We all met and agreed that nobody should do anything on the land until we are able to make a final decision. You know what happened? These guys thought they were too smart and they started selling the land,” Wike added.
