The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has given a developer a 48-hour deadline to halt construction and present valid land documents or face the demolition of an unauthorized structure in a designated green area of Utako.
The ultimatum was delivered on Thursday by Chief Felix Obuah, Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), who led a team of enforcement officials to the site. The developer, according to Obuah, had been previously instructed to cease work and produce legal documentation but failed to comply.
“When we invited the developer to present legal documents, it became clear there was no approval, no allocation—nothing,” Obuah stated. “I ordered him to stop construction, but he refused. The only language left now is demolition.”
Obuah warned that if the developer fails to report to his office by 10 a.m. the following day, demolition will commence immediately.
The illegal structure, situated near a major drainage channel, poses a serious flood risk, he said. “This is a waterway. Allowing construction here endangers lives and property. We have to act fast to prevent disaster.”
The AMMC Coordinator emphasized the FCTA’s unwavering resolve to uphold Abuja’s Master Plan and enforce environmental and urban development regulations. He confirmed that similar operations are underway in other parts of the city, targeting encroachments on green areas, floodplains, and public infrastructure corridors.
“This is not an isolated case,” he said. “Wherever illegal structures exist, we will remove them. Our mission is to restore order and ensure Abuja remains a planned, livable city.”
Tpl. Mukhtar Galadima, Director of the Department of Development Control, reiterated the administration’s zero-tolerance policy. He revealed that another developer in the Wumba District had also been issued a 48-hour notice for failing to present valid title documents.
“We gave them a chance to comply, but instead, they continued building. This leaves us with no alternative but to enforce the law,” Galadima said.
He affirmed that citywide enforcement will be intensified: “We are reclaiming every space—green zones, waterways, and road corridors. If you build without approval, your structure will come down. There will be no impunity.”
Both officials assured residents that the FCTA would spare no effort in ensuring public safety and preserving the capital’s integrity through lawful, sustainable urban development.
