Abuja administration pledges to return land wrongfully taken from owners

The FCT Administration will revert all plots of land wrongfully or illegally acquired to the rightful owners in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, dropped this hint Thursday in his office while receiving the members of the standing committee of the Jamatul-Nasril-Islam (JNI) on landed properties in the Federal Capital Territory led by its chairman and Emir of Lafia, Mustapha Agwai I, in his office.

The minister said that this action has become necessary in order to ensure that equity and justice is not only done but also seen to be done to all and sundry.

Mr. Bello reiterated that his administration would try to ensure that that there is fairness in handling the said problem of wrongful allocations of plots of land in Abuja.

According to him, there are plots of land earmarked for religious worship centres in all the districts of the Federal Capital City, and that all religious faith would be treated equally.

The minister emphasized that although the FCT Administration is not allocating new plots of land for now, anytime it would be done, all religious faith would be given fair share.

Mr. Bello stated all those that have genuine cases over their plots of land would amicably be resolved and therefore urged all those with such problems to exercise patience.

The minister stressed that some of the problems that caused the knotty disputes of double allocations and wrongful acquisition of plots of land in Abuja were primarily due to weaknesses in the institutions.

Mr. Bello remarked that his administration has done a lot in strengthening the institutions to enable them carry out their statutory duties without fear or favour, which has paid-off, as many cases of double allocation have been resolved.

He described the JNI as a legacy institution that has been working for the good of humanity and charged them to continue in that direction.

Speaking earlier, Mr. Agwai said they were in the FCTA to officially remind the administration to help in retrieving some of its property wrongfully taken away.

The Andoma of Doma, Ahmadu Oga-Onawo, who also spoke at the occasion noted that some of the organization’s landed property encroached upon are the Eid Prayer Ground along the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Expressway (Airport Road) and in Gwarinpa I District (Life-Camp) amongst others.