The Director of the Department, Mr Mukhtar Galadima, delivered this warning in Abuja after his team intercepted an attempt by some of the previous landowners to proceed with construction on the revoked lands in Maitama, Abuja, despite the revocation order in place.
This action, he described as "worrisome," considering that the lands had been officially revoked.
Accompanied by security personnel, the development control officials confiscated construction equipment discovered on the sites, arrested some of the workers for profiling, and instructed others to vacate the premises.
It's noteworthy that the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, had revoked 165 land plots in the FCT due to the non-development of these properties and continuous violations of the terms of agreements as stipulated in section 28(5) (a) &(b) of the Land Use Act.
Galadima emphasised, "The FCTA minister has revoked some plots for non-development and also gave the last warning on abandoned buildings since December 2022. It is unfortunate that those revoked properties, some people are trying to come back and work on them, particularly on the weekend."
"We got information that some owners of the revoked lands are moving to the site in violation of the order. We are on this operation to ensure that nobody goes back to all the revoked plots to work on them."
"We also want to use this opportunity to warn the public that any revoked property that somebody is trying to work on, the FCTA will not only remove such structures but will ensure prosecution of the person involved," he added.
When questioned about whether any of the affected landowners had taken legal action to seek redress, Galadima responded, "I am not aware of anything like that. But if someone has gone to court, then I will leave it to the court to decide. For now, I am not aware of such."