The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Monday demolished sections of Citiscape Villa Estate in the upscale Guzape District of Abuja over violations of approved building plans and encroachment on designated waterways and green areas.
The demolition exercise was led by the Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Chief Felix Obuah, who accused the estate developer of selling plots carved out of green areas and water channels to unsuspecting buyers, in defiance of the approved development blueprint.
Obuah emphasized that the administration, under the leadership of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, remains committed to enforcing the capital city’s master plan.
“The Minister will not tolerate any act that undermines the city’s development agenda. Those who attempt to sabotage our efforts, including complicit government officials, will be sanctioned accordingly,” he stated.
Supporting this stance, the Director of the Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, revealed that the developer was served several stop-work notices but failed to comply, prompting the enforcement action.
Galadima added, “We have intensified our monitoring to ensure developers do not continue violating building regulations. It’s unfortunate that some still proceed despite repeated warnings.”
Responding to the situation, Kadiri Ogbaidi, owner and developer of Citiscape Villa, acknowledged the infractions and took responsibility, although he attributed part of the blame to subscribers who he said constructed buildings on unauthorized portions of the estate.
“It’s true there have been violations. Some of our subscribers built on green areas, and that’s on us,” Ogbaidi admitted. “We’re ready to remove all structures flagged by the authorities and bear the cost ourselves. We’re appealing for a two-week grace period to begin the process. We’ve always complied with the law and never had issues with the authorities before now.”
