Officials apologised over the Gaduwa confrontation, insisting the disputed development was illegal and unsupported by any statutory land title.
More facts have emerged as the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Thursday accepted responsibility for the confrontation between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and a naval officer at a disputed site in Gaduwa District. A video showing naval personnel blocking the minister from accessing the property linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd), had circulated widely.
Director of Development Control, Tpl Mukhtar Galadima, while briefing journalists after the FCT Executive Committee meeting, apologised over the incident and clarified that the development on the site was illegal. “It is with a sense of commitment, emotion and regret that we address this press conference,” he said, recounting earlier resistance by armed naval officers during routine monitoring.
He said he alerted the minister due to “impending danger,” leading to the public confrontation. The Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, added that the claimants had “no statutory right of occupancy,” relying only on an outdated letter of intent.