Chaos as ‘soldiers’ attack Development Control officials in Jikwoyi





There was utter chaos when unidentified Nigerian soldiers attacked enforcement team of the FCT Development Control Department, during removal of an illegal perimeter fence of a disputed plot of land in Jikwoyi Phase 1 of Abuja, the nation’s capital city.

Our correspondent reports that trouble started when two unknown soldiers, dressed in green Army uniform swiftly moved against the enforcement team, just minutes its bulldozer crushed the perimeter fence at the site, having two military big signposts with ” Military Zone, keep off” inscription on them, strategically placed on both ends of the property.

Also, the incident which occurred last Friday, caused panic as some officials took to their heels while onlookers scampered for safety, as the security operatives that accompanied the FCT officials fired gunshots and teargas into the air, in an attempt to rescue the officials from the assailants, to prevent loss of lives and property in the area.

However, a police woman, who was at the site with development control officials, was injured during the confrontation between the soldiers and the enforcement team.

Narrating his ordeal, Assistant Director in charge of the Area Councils of South in the Federal Capital City (FCC), Olatunji Oyewale Oyindola, said when they got there for removal exercise, and as their men who moved to site almost concluded the task, some soldiers came and started harassing them.

He revealed that, prior to the incident, the Department had served several notices to the extent that it collected the document of the two parties involved in a dispute over the land, and forwarded them to Department of Lands for confirmation.

He disclosed that the first abatement notice was served when the development was in early stage of the perimeter fence, which more than five months ago.


“We moved to site, so that the development will not reach sympathy level, before we remove it. So this developer ignored all the notices we served prior to the exercise. All the notices served are in our records.

“And in the process, they wounded one of the police officers, who I had to take to the hospital for treatment, while another lost his mobile phone. At the site, they even positioned two military signposts with ” Military Zone, keep off”.

“However, even though it’s Army, they are law abiding people, because I think that’s what they are supposed to be.

“We thank God Almighty that the situation didn’t involve any loss of life. We did our work and return back to our office. And the only person that was injured was a female police,” he stated.


Reacting to the attack, the Acting Director of Development Control Department, Garba Kwamkur, on the military high command to investigate it, and bring whoever the culprits are to book.

Kwamkur cautioned that the FCT Administration will tolerate any act of criminality, even as it tries to encourage the development of the FCT, in line with the highest standards that have been prescribed in the blueprint for the development of the city.

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