Narrator: Psalmdy Daniel A
In early November 2025, officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) discovered that construction was going on at the plot 1946 in Gaduwa District, a piece of land they said has no valid title documents and no approved building plan. According to FCTA, the land had originally been allocated for park/recreation use, not residential or commercial development.
On 11th Nov. 2025, Development Control officers went to the site to stop the construction. When they arrived, they met armed naval personnel guarding the land. These officers refused to allow FCTA staff to carry out the enforcement, claiming they were acting under superior orders.
Later that day, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike visited the site personally. This led to a heated confrontation between him and a naval officer identified as Lt. A.M. Yerima, who again insisted he was following instructions from above. The incident was recorded, went viral online and sparked widespread reaction across Nigeria.
By the next day, 12th November, more information began to emerge about who the land was linked to. Media reports identified Vice-Admiral Awwal Zubiru Gambo (rtd), a former chief of Naval staff, as the person connected to the disputed plot.
Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, stated that Gambo may have been scammed by a private real estate company, Santos Estate Limited, which allegedly partitioned and sold parts of the land even though it was never legally converted for private building.
According to Wike’s team, the retired naval chief did not have a valid land title or any approved building plan.
At the same time, the Minister of Defence and the Minister of State for Defence publicly defended Lt. Yerima, saying the officer acted professionally and in obedience to military hierarchy.
On social media platforms, some Nigerians praised the Naval officer’s calmness, while others insisted that Wike was right to challenge unauthorized construction.
On 13th November 2025, the Federal Government ordered a full investigation into the incident.
Service chiefs, the Defense ministry and the FCTA were all directed to look into the true ownership of Plot 1946, the legality of the construction and the deployment of naval personnel to a private building site.
Since then, both sides stood their grounds.
The FCTA maintains that the land is illegal for residential development, while the Defence Ministry continues to support the naval officer’s conduct. Meanwhile, legal review of the land’s original allocation and its alleged illegal resale is ongoing.
