A legal practitioner, Matthew Onoja, has has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to intervene in the alleged takeover of a disputed green area in Kado Estate, Abuja.

This is as a Civil Society Organisation, Grassroots Centre for Rights and Civic Orientation, warned against the alleged conversion of Abuja’s designated green areas for development, saying such activities could undermine the city’s environmental planning.

Onoja, who represents Hongye International Nigeria Limited, a lessee of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said his client was facing an attempt to take possession of the property despite a pending court case over the land.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the lawyer said the dispute followed the purported allocation of the same property to another party, describing the circumstances surrounding the allocation as unusual.

He said his client had petitioned the IGP, seeking an investigation into how the property could have been allocated to another party while Hongye remained in possession.

According to him, the company was invited by the police, where it adopted its petition and submitted relevant documents, while the police indicated that the other party would also be invited to present its documents.

Onoja, however, said that while the police investigation was ongoing, an attempt was made to take possession of the property.

He said his legal team informed the police and also wrote to the Development Control Unit of the FCTA, notifying the authority that there was a dispute over the land and that the matter was already before the court.

He said relevant parties had been joined in the suit, adding that the sole director and shareholder of the other company involved in the dispute had also been joined and served with hearing notices.

Onoja noted that despite the pending case and notifications to the relevant authorities, men arrived at the property with equipment and bulldozers and began removing structures and installations.

He said the perimeter fence was destroyed, trees were felled and installations belonging to his client were pulled down.

According to him, he later went to the property after being informed that work had resumed and met the same people returning to continue the operation.
Onoja alleged that the men arrived in marked pickup trucks and that some of them were armed.

He said he asked whether they were aware of the dispute and pending court case and demanded to see the authority under which they were taking possession of the property.

According to him, no document authorising the action was shown to him, while the men allegedly told him he had no right to question them and directed him to go to court.

The lawyer said his client was being disadvantaged in the dispute, alleging that other interests involved had greater resources or influence

He argued that even where ownership or occupation of land is disputed, the affected party should not be dispossessed without due process, stressing that his client was a lawful occupant.

“We cannot be in court and then have any authority or individual who is already joined in the suit go behind the court to encroach upon or prejudice the interests of another party in the same matter that is pending before the court. It means there is no regard for the rule of law and shows contempt for the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court,” he said.

“My demand is not merely a personal demand. It is the demand of every right-thinking Nigerian that due process be followed. Let the parties maintain the status quo, with my client remaining in possession, until the rights of the parties in court, which have already been submitted for determination, are decided one way or the other,” Onoja said.

He disclosed that the case is scheduled for hearing in October 2026 and urged the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the IGP to intervene and ensure that the parties maintain the status quo pending the determination of the dispute.

Speaking, Executive Director of Grassroots Centre for Rights and Civic Orientation, Armsfree Ajanaku, said the organisation’s interest in the matter extended beyond the private land dispute to concerns over the protection of Abuja’s green spaces.

Ajanaku said the organisation understood the location to be a green area under Abuja’s master plan, warning that the conversion of such spaces for development could undermine the city’s environmental planning.

“For us, this is not just about private interest; it is also about public interest. We cannot fold our arms and watch what is supposed to be the only city in Nigeria where we say we should not have a concrete jungle lose all its green spaces to development,” he said.

He said Abuja should avoid uncontrolled development, noting that green spaces contribute to environmental quality, health and the wellbeing of residents.
“We cannot watch the environment, which is a collective heritage, being destroyed. It is not anybody’s personal estate. The environment belongs to all of us collectively as citizens,” Ajanaku said.

Ajanaku also linked his concerns to recent flooding in the FCT, saying he had lived in Abuja since 2012 and had not witnessed flooding at the level experienced this year.

He called for any development allegedly encroaching on designated green areas to be halted and for such spaces to be preserved for their intended purposes.

He raised concerns about the presence of several people at the property during the operation, alleging that some appeared to be armed, while uniformed police officers were also present.

Ajanaku said that streetlights outside the property, which he said were provided with public funds, were among the infrastructure affected during the operation.

He urged the authorities to uphold due process in resolving the dispute and protect Abuja’s designated green areas from unauthorised development.