Hyper City Retail Limited, a Port Harcourt-based supermarket chain, is building a shopping mall on a prime plot in Utako, Abuja. The site was once reserved for a memorial to victims of a 2008 building collapse that killed six people.
Plot 230, Cadastral Zone B05, was revoked in 2008 by then FCT Minister Aliyu Modibbo Umar after the tragedy. Officials had promised a memorial park. That plan never materialised.
Seventeen years later, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc is constructing the mall for Hyper City. The company, registered in 2022, operates four stores in Port Harcourt. Its directors include Nigerian and Lebanese nationals.
Authorities have not explained how the plot changed from public memorial to commercial use. Abuja Geographic Information Systems and the FCT Minister’s office have remained silent. Site visits showed active construction but no project signboard. Workers confirmed it is a commercial project.
Former FCT official Umar Shuaibu described the change as “wrong” and against the original intention. Residents also criticised the decision, saying it dishonours the victims.
The development raises questions about transparency in land allocation and respect for public commitments in Nigeria’s capital.
