An Abuja-based architect, Nnabuike Ofordile, has sounded the alarm over what he describes as a coordinated attempt to illegally strip him of his rightful ownership of a high-value parcel of land in the upscale Guzape District despite a clear court ruling in his favor and a directive from the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
In a renewed appeal issued in Abuja, Ofordile alleged that certain unnamed individuals, reportedly working in tandem with officials within the FCT Land Administration, are behind an ongoing plot to dislodge him from Plot 441, Cadastral Zone C09, Guzape.
According to him, this is in blatant disregard for both a judgment delivered by the FCT High Court and a ministerial directive issued over a year ago restoring the plot to him.
Though Wike had previously stepped in to uphold the court’s verdict, Ofordile said some civil servants have ignored both legal and administrative authority, allowing unauthorized construction to commence on the disputed land.
“This is not just a land matter. It’s about rule of law and the integrity of public service. Despite the minister’s directive and a binding court judgment, these individuals continue to undermine both the courts and the office of the Honourable Minister,” Ofordile said.
Efforts to reach the Director of Lands at the FCT Administration, Mr. Chijioke Nwankwoeze, for comments proved unsuccessful as of press time.
Tracing the roots of the dispute, Ofordile explained that he legally acquired the plot through a Power of Attorney donated by the original allottee, Hajia Rukiya Dabai, who had initially been granted Plot LD 405. Following a recertification process by the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), the plot number was corrected to 441, a change officially reflected in FCTA documentation.
Despite paying the required fees and receiving a Technical Drawing Plan (TDP) for Plot 441, Ofordile said the agency later turned around and claimed that his documents were forged. In response, he sought legal redress, filing suit CV/3627/2012 in which the FCT High Court ultimately affirmed his ownership and upheld the documentation issued by the FCTA itself.
The court also acknowledged that the plot number correction from 405 to 441 was a result of internal adjustments made by the FCTA, not fraud or misrepresentation on Ofordile’s part.
However, nearly a decade after litigation began and despite the court’s verdict, unauthorized construction has reportedly resumed on the plot, prompting Ofordile to call on Minister Wike for urgent intervention.
He also raised concerns over what he termed the “fraudulent registration” of a new Power of Attorney over the same plot by faceless entities, allegedly aided by some insiders within the land department.
“It is a dangerous precedent for a lawful court judgment to be ignored by those entrusted with enforcing it. The Honourable Minister must act now to preserve the sanctity of the judiciary and ensure law-abiding citizens are not stripped of their rights by insiders gaming the system,” he said.
Ofordile further urged Wike to order an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the new Power of Attorney and to sanction any official found complicit in the scheme.
