FCTA task force halts fresh construction at River Park Estate, arrests developer, workers

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial Task Force has halted construction activities within River Park Estate in Lugbe, Abuja.

The task force also arrested workers and a developer for allegedly flouting a subsisting court order.

The enforcement came on the heels of an Abuja High Court directive ordering parties in the dispute to maintain the status quo and desist from further development on the contested land.

Officials of the Development Control Department, backed by security operatives, were said to have stormed the estate on Wednesday. They arrested  workers found on site, along with the developer, Mr. Paul Odili.

He was later granted bail in the sum of N200 million and mandated to deposit his travel documents.

The task force also demolished more than 30 foundations within the estate, accusing the developers of contravening planning regulations and disregarding the revocation of their leases.

The FCTA had in August set up a committee chaired by Barrister Salman Dako to review the controversy.

The panel had recommended that undeveloped plots be reverted to government for reallocation, while valid customary titleholders who complied with planning standards should retain theirs.

Speaking after the enforcement, Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, said intelligence reports indicated that some developers were working frantically to erect structures despite the stop-work order.

“We observed that certain developers were working day and night on the plots. This morning, they were still on site, so we had to remove the foundations and excavations already done,” he said.

He warned that any new construction without approval would equally be demolished.

Despite the clampdown, some developers allegedly linked to Paulo Homes and Aazik Homes were said to have continued construction in parts of the estate in defiance of official directives.

The lingering dispute over River Park Estate has raised concerns in Abuja’s real estate sector, with experts warning that the controversy, marked by allegations of forged corporate documents and conflicting enforcement actions, could dampen investor confidence in the FCT property market.