Land Grab Allegations: Group Mobilizes Abuja Residents For Mass Protest

By Chinedu Echianu

A group of activists under the aegis of Network of Abuja Left Groups are rallying residents of the Federal Capital Territory for mass protest over land grabbing allegations against the Federal Capital Territory Administration under the leadership of the Minister, Nyesom Wike whom they accuse of diverting over 2,082 hectares of prime land in Maitama and Asokoro valued at $3.6 billion to his sons.

A statement jointly signed by Omole Ibukun of Creative Change Centre and nine other activists, claimed that new evidence from Peoples Gazette news platform showed that there is truth in the allegations against the FCT Minister, “We can now confirm an additional 1,740 hectares, worth $2.85 billion, were illicitly allocated to his (Wike’s) firstborn, Jordan, through shell companies (Jordan Farms and Estates Ltd and related fronts).

Combined with Joaquin’s prior 2,082 hectares, the Wike family now controls at least 3,822 hectares of FCT land — a staggering $6.45 billion in public assets usurped for private gain.

“These new allocations include 12 hectares in Maitama (six weeks after Jordan Farms’ registration in the same pattern with the allocation to Joaquin’s company), 158 hectares in Sheretti Cheche, 1.6 hectares in the Central Area which is a land formerly held by the Austrian Embassy, confiscated under the same pretext of non‑compliance used to dispossess original owners, and numerous other parcels in Guzape, Gosa, Wumba, Bwari, and beyond, all funneled through shell companies sharing the same Wuse II address long tied to the Minister.

“For context, the whole of FCT Abuja stands on 731,500 hectares. The 3,822 hectares of land in question would represent about 0.52% of the entire FCT.

That’s 1 out of every 200 hectares in the whole of the Federal Capital Territory, granted to a single person. There is no other way to describe this than to call it a massive land grab. Again to put this in perspective, 6.45 billion dollar is equivalent to 9.9 Trillion Naira and the budget of the whole of Nigeria for 2025 is 54.9 Trillion Naira. That’s 18.03% of the 2025 budget.

“This brazen self‑dealing comes as thousands of FCT workers, including teachers, health staff, environmental officers and local government workers remain unpaid and on strike.

While Wike builds private road networks and cosmetic ‘flyovers’ through his sons’ newly acquired land to inflate its value, public schools crumble and clinics close.” part of the statement read.

The group also expressed outrage at the defense presented by the spokesman of the FCT Minister, Mr. Lere Olayinka who denied the evidences of the corruption on behalf of the Minister and claimed that allocations were legally executed and any hint of impropriety is merely politically-motivated.

Olayinka was also quoted as saying that the said land was duly allocated to Jordan Farms and Estate Limited, a company duly registered in Nigeria, with none of the children of the FCT as a director of the company.

However, the Network of Abuja Left Groups insists that, “Wike signed off on his own son’s allocations to usurp public land through the very machinery he controls and that is corruption, even if it is done by playing around the loopholes of the law. Legally rubber‑stamped nepotism remains corruption.

“We therefore want to clarify the public on how shell companies operate, that the companies were registered on October 10, 2024, using the same address at 13, Thaba Tseka Street, Wuse II and they started getting land allocations almost immediately, without any eyebrow or investigation raised at that suspicious accumulation by the FCTA, shows that both companies are nothing but shell companies. Such overlap cannot be coincidence of two accumulating companies occupying the same location, and the FCTA cannot claim to be ignorant of that location overlap, so why the obfuscation by Mr. Olayinka on behalf of Nyesom Wike.

“Another rebuttal by in the press statement issued by Mr. Lere Olayinka was also that “it is the right of the minister and members of his family, both immediate and extended, to own lands anywhere in Nigeria, including the FCT, provided all necessary conditions are met.” To this, we wish to state that while rights to private property can be debated, public office carries a fiduciary duty. Wike weaponized that duty to grab land, 350 hectares per week for Joaquin and 12 hectares six weeks after company formation for Jordan, and then built roads to inflate their value. That’s self‑dealing, not legitimate investment. That does not classify anywhere near property rights.”

The Network of Abuja Left Groups thereby issued a seven point demand which includes the setting up of an independent, civil‑society–led public probe to cover every land allocation made by the FCT Minister from August 2023 through June 2025, including those to Jordan Farms and Estates Ltd, Hyper Communications Ltd, and all related entities, adding that all findings must be made public without delay.

“The second demand being the Immediate revocation of all Certificates of Occupancy issued since October 2024 to any company linked to the Minister’s family including JoaQ Farms & Estates Ltd, Jordan Farms & Estates Ltd, Hyper Communications Ltd, Hyper Station Ltd, and any fronts yet to be named.

“Full restitution including the return of every hectare stolen from Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, Garki, Sheretti Cheche, Bwari, the Central Area, and all other communities, to the public domain for transparent, community‑led development.

“Back pay and compensation for FCT teachers, healthcare workers, water‑service, local government workers and environmental staff, compounded by interest and punitive damages for the months of strike and service paralysis caused by Wike’s theft.

“All recovered parcels must be reallocated to cooperative, community‑managed public housing to ensure that land serves collective need, not private greed.
6. ⁠President Bola Tinubu must suspend Minister Wike immediately and sanction anti‑graft agencies to move without fear or favour.

“EFCC and ICPC must open criminal investigations into Wike and his Wike’s accomplices and the mechanics of these shell‑company transfers.”

The group vowed to continue mobilizing FCT residents for the planned protests until all its demands are met.