Woman Cries Out As Housing Authority Demolishes Property

An Abuja property owner, Sadiya Ruma, has cried out over the demolition of her property in the Gwarimpa area by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), despite a court case.

Sadiya told journalists on Sunday that she was beaten, dragged on the ground and wounded in one of her arms by the armed police officers deployed to destroy the fence in the property despite a pending case before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Bwari, Abuja.

However, the Head of Public Relations of the FHA, Mr Kenneth Chigelu, said the case involved land grabbing, adding that there are documents to substantiate that the property was not rightfully acquired.

Chigelu said the lady has already been given the exact portion of land to which she is legally and rightfully entitled.

The woman, showing pictures from the incident, said the police officers, accompanied by some staff of the FHA, came to the site in two Coaster buses on Friday around noon, and allegedly physically assaulted her despite being pregnant.

She alleged that she was dragged on the ground when she attempted to stop them from demolishing the property.

The property is located along 5th Avenue, 52 Road, Gwarinpa Il Estate, Abuja, belonging to Tolwu Integrated Properties Ltd.

“The FHA team came to the site to destroy our fences without any court order or any other official document. When they came to the site, I rushed to the site with my lawyer. We asked the police officers to show any enforcement documents or court papers. They didn’t show anything,” the lady said.

She said when she arrived at the site, she told the FHA team that the case was in court. “I even pleaded with them for us to go to the nearest police station, but they refused,” she said.

Hajiya Sadiya stated that she purchased the land from Savannah Suites in 2012 and got a letter of consent from the FHA in 2013 after clearing the arrears of N13.5 million.

In 2021, she stated that she applied for a Change of Purpose for the land, which was approved by the FHA in 2023.

According to her, in 2025, she applied for the Development Plan, which all relevant departments in the FHA approved after submitting architectural, structural, engineering, and electrical designs.

According to her, one officer refused to approve the bill, which would have allowed her to start the project, more than six months after the application.

She said she has been paying ground rent and all other official expenses on the land since she bought it in 2012 without defaulting.

Sadiya stated that the problem began when the new FHA management carved out a significant portion of the Gwarimpa land and allocated it to property companies.