FG Moves Against Abuja Landlords After THE WHISTLER Report, To Revoke Titles Of 435 Abandoned Buildings

Four months after THE WHISTLER published a report on how abandoned buildings threaten lives of residents and vital national edifices in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has revealed plans to revoke the titles of 435 uncompleted and abandoned structures in the nation’s capital.

The measure would be taken to ensure that lives and property of residents are safeguarded, said the FCTA.

THE WHISTLER had reported in September that there were more than 460 abandoned buildings littered around the FCT which houses the residence and offices of the Nigerian president, amongst others.

This website gathered that the abandoned structures were increasingly becoming hideouts for kidnappers, societal miscreants, and other criminals.

The FCTA Director of Land Administration, Adamu Hussaini, said the ministry may penalize landlords whose abandoned or uncompleted structures constitute security threat in the city.

“In order to ensure adequate protection of lives and property in and around the 250 square kilometers of the Federal Capital City, the administration may have concluded arrangements to sanction owners of 435 abandoned/uncompleted structures,” Hussaini said in a press statement on Tuesday.

He said penalty may include revocation of titles of such properties.

“The security breach is of great concern to the government and that it will not fold its arms to watch danger in the waiting to explode. This development has been a cause of worry for the FCT Administration.

“These abandoned and uncompleted buildings have become shelter for unintended occupants as well as other persons with criminal disposition, who use these uncompleted structures as hideout to perpetuate their nefarious activities against the residents.”

A security risk management and intelligence expert, Adamu Kabir, had in an interview with THE WHISTLER advised that conscious efforts should be made to “dominate those places or stop them from being used as hideouts by these criminal elements,” noting that uncompleted buildings were a huge problem to the security of the city.

“If it’s for private individuals, what does the law say? As far as I remember, there are several times where circulars have been issued. In that stance, they should give owners of such buildings time within which to complete them or sell them off. If they don’t, then the government has the right to either take over for public safety. In this instance, this is a good example where public safety can override personal consideration,” Kabir had said, adding that it was “absolutely unacceptable” to have huge abandoned or uncompleted buildings in the city center or around significant government institutions.

Meanwhile, the FCTA’s move is coming days after the Nigeria Immigration Service received intelligence on alleged plans by terrorists to launch coordinated attacks in Abuja.

A memo sent to sector commanders of the NIS across 23 border posts had revealed that terrorists from Algeria were planning to launch the attacks “between 17th and 31st December, 2021.”