Land Racketeering: Abuja Homeowners Seek Wike’s Intervention Over Alleged Harassment

Homeowners at Dr. Sam Nujoma Estate in Galadimawa, Abuja, have appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to intervene in what they described as persistent harassment, intimidation, and extortion allegedly perpetrated by developer El Salem Nigeria Limited.

In a petition addressed to the Legal Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Chairman of the estate’s Residents Association, Ifeanyi Echefu stated that homeowners legally acquired their properties and should not be treated as tenants within the estate.

According to him, officials of El Salem Nigeria Limited have allegedly refused to relinquish management of the estate despite exhausting the available plots for sale.

He further accused the company of using private security personnel to intimidate, threaten, and, in some instances, assault residents.

Echefu explained that the estate, located on Plot 21, Cadastral Zone C17, Industrial Area II, was originally allocated in 2007 to the African University of Science and Technology.

He alleged that the university subsequently entered into a sublease agreement with El Salem Nigeria Limited, which developed the estate under the name Dr. Sam Nujoma Estate and brought in eight additional developers without the approval of the FCTA.

He further claimed that the land was designated in the FCTA development plan for student hostel accommodation and not for residential or commercial purposes.

The residents’ chairman urged the FCT Minister to intervene by facilitating the issuance of Rights of Occupancy (R-of-O) and Certificates of Occupancy (C-of-O) to homeowners in the estate.

Responding to the allegations, the Director of Investigation and Prosecution in the FCTA Legal Department, Joseph Eriki confirmed the matter in a correspondence addressed to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Nigeria Police Force.

Eriki reportedly advised the police to arrest officials of El Salem Nigeria Limited and any individuals claiming approval to use the land for purposes other than education. He also accused the university of altering the approved land use without obtaining the consent of the government.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding the sublease arrangement and related allegations, the Country Director of the African University of Science and Technology, Mr. Adekoya Seyi, said efforts were underway to resolve the dispute.

“We are not unaware of the issues. Discussions are ongoing and will soon be resolved. However, I am not going to yield to the demands of the FCTA Legal Department director,” Seyi stated.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of El Salem Nigeria Limited were unsuccessful. The company’s executive director, , neither answered telephone calls nor responded to messages seeking his comments as of the time of filing this report.