There was mild drama in Abuja when Nigerian soldiers reportedly blocked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from accessing a disputed piece of land.
In a viral video, Wike, the former governor of Rivers State, was seen confronting the soldiers in a heated exchange while attempting to restore order at the scene.
“You send soldiers to intimidate who? We are all from this country. If not for the CDS who spoke to me now, you would have to kill everybody here. I’m not one of those you can intimidate,” Wike said angrily.
The ownership of the land remains unclear. The incident comes amid recent enforcement operations by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), which fined several property owners ₦5 million each for illegally converting residential buildings to commercial use.
In a public notice released in September 2025, the FCTA gave affected owners 30 days to regularise their titles in areas including Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, and Garki.
The notice stated that compliant property owners would receive new title documents valid for 99 years.
Among those reportedly affected by the FCTA’s enforcement policy are former APC national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, ex-Osun governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Chief Justice of Nigeria Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
