FG Opens Final Verification For Dukpa Allottees, Sets September 7 Deadline

The federal government has commenced a final verification exercise for genuine allottees of the defunct Dukpa Site and Services Scheme in Gwagwalada, Abuja, ahead of their relocation to an alternative site.

The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said the three-week exercise would begin on September 7, 2026, warning that claims not authenticated within the stipulated period would not be considered for relocation.

The exercise is aimed at resolving the longstanding dispute arising from the revocation of allocations in the Dukpa area, which was subsequently earmarked for the development of the National Housing Programme (NHP).

According to the ministry, only individuals able to establish the authenticity of their interests in the defunct scheme during the exercise would qualify for relocation to the alternative site secured within Gwagwalada.

The ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Badamasi Haiba, said in a statement that the exercise was designed to authenticate legitimate claims and ensure that only genuine beneficiaries were captured in the relocation process.

The Dukpa residential and service plots were originally allocated in 1992 by the then Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for private development. The allocations were later revoked alongside other interests in the area on the grounds of overriding public interest and the need to execute the National Housing Programme.

To mitigate the impact of the revocation on genuine beneficiaries, the ministry said arrangements had been concluded to relocate verified allottees in line with Section 28(2B) of the Land Use Act, Cap 202, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (as amended).

Affected allottees have been directed to appear personally for verification with the original and photocopies of their Letters of Allocation, payment receipts, valid means of identification, sworn affidavit supporting their ownership claims and passport photographs.

The verification will take place on working days at the offices of the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform (PTCLR), Garki 2, and the Department of Lands and Housing Development at the ministry’s headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.

The ministry warned that the exercise would be conducted within the three-week window and that no extension would be granted, urging all affected persons to use the opportunity to authenticate and regularise their claims.

It described the exercise as the final opportunity for affected allottees to establish their entitlement before the relocation process is concluded.

The move is expected to bring relief to original beneficiaries whose interests have remained unresolved for years following the government’s acquisition of the land for public development.

The ministry consequently urged all affected persons to ensure that their documentation is complete and presented within the prescribed period, stressing that claims not verified within the deadline would be excluded from the relocation arrangement.