Wike Revokes 30 Hectares from Senior Military Officers, Reallocates Land to Allies, Including INEC Chair Amupitan
Fresh details have emerged about the contentious land dispute that sparked a dramatic face-off this week between Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and military personnel in Abuja’s Gudu district, shedding light on allegations that Wike revoked legally allocated land and reassigned it to political allies, including the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Sam Amupitan.
According to a legal practitioner directly involved in the case, the 30-hectare parcel in question was originally allocated to a group of serving and retired military officers, including former Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.
According to SaharaReporters, the land had been partly developed by the beneficiaries when Wike abruptly revoked their rights and issued new Rights of Occupancy (RofO) to private individuals closely linked to him.
“The revocation and reallocation were carried out in total disregard of due process, official recommendations, and existing approvals,” the source said. “I am personally involved as a lawyer in this matter and several other cases of land revocation and reallocation orchestrated by Minister Wike.”
The lawyer revealed that one of the new beneficiaries is “a top Wike ally” widely believed to be none other than INEC Chairman Prof. Sam Amupitan, a claim that, if verified, raises serious questions about potential conflicts of interest and abuse of public office.
Originally zoned as a green recreational area under the FCT’s Parkway System in Gaduwa District, the land officially designated as Green Area Plot 1946, CZ B13 was subdivided in 2007 and allocated to multiple private organizations for park development, including Santos Estates Limited, Curio International Ventures, and others, according to a May 17, 2022 letter from Hajiya Riskatu Abdulazeez, Director of the FCTA’s Parks & Recreation Department.
That letter confirmed that the 31-hectare site “was committed to various organisations” under a public-private collaboration framework, with the FCTA acknowledging the “huge financial investment required” for such recreational projects.
However, the lawyer alleges that Wike, ignoring years of administrative records and internal memos—including one from 2014, the recommended formal development approval unilaterally altered the land use designation from “park/recreation” to “multi-purpose” and issued fresh titles to new recipients without recourse to legal or procedural safeguards.
Tensions escalated on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, when Wike, accompanied by approximately 50 armed police officers and two bulldozers, arrived at the estate site in a bid to demolish existing structures and reclaim the land. He was confronted by military officers stationed on the property, leading to the now-viral confrontation in which Wike was seen berating Naval Officer Capt. Adam Yarima, calling him “a big fool” after the officer refused to back down.
“I was with Capt. Yarima, when we received intelligence that Wike had descended on the site with police and bulldozers to dispossess the rightful allottees,” the lawyer recounted. “The Army has formally challenged Wike to take the matter to court, but he has refused, likely because he knows his actions lack legal basis.”
The source further accused Wike of routinely dismissing aggrieved citizens with the phrase “go to court,” even while disregarding ongoing legal processes and administrative reviews. “He tells people to go to court, yet he avoids the courtroom himself when challenged,” the lawyer said.
The viral video, obtained by IntegrityHive, captures the minister’s heated exchange with the officer, who calmly insisted he was “acting on orders” and would not “shut up” in the face of intimidation, a moment that has since ignited national debate over land governance, abuse of power, and the rule of law in Nigeria’s capital territory.
As calls grow for an independent investigation, the case underscores broader concerns about arbitrary land revocations in the FCT under Wike’s leadership and the apparent prioritization of political patronage over due process, transparency, and institutional integrity.