Court Order Ignored as FCDA Demolishes River Park Estate in Abuja

By Correspondent in Abuja.
The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) on Wednesday carried out the demolition of parts of River Park Estate in Abuja, despite a subsisting court order restraining it from taking any action on the property.

FCDA officials, accompanied by police and other security operatives, reportedly moved into the estate with bulldozers and pulled down multi-million-naira structures while a suit over the ownership of the estate remains pending before the court.

Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the Abuja High Court sitting at Jikwoyi-Kurudu had, on September 17, granted an injunctive order restraining the FCDA from taking any action on the estate pending the hearing and determination of a suit filed against it.

The suit was instituted by two property developers—Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd—against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the FCDA over a dispute concerning the ownership of River Park Estate.

Justice Zubairu granted the order after hearing a motion ex-parte dated and filed on September 11 and marked M/11417/2025, moved by Anthony Malik, SAN, on behalf of the plaintiffs.

In the motion, Malik sought leave of the court to apply for a judicial review by way of certiorari to set aside and/or quash the proceedings, report and recommendations of the Ministerial Committee set up by the FCT Minister to address issues affecting River Park Estate, Lugbe, Abuja.

Specifically, the court ordered that the grant of the reliefs sought “shall operate as a stay of action or proceedings in respect of, or in connection with, the implementation of the report of the ministerial committee.”

Despite the order, officers of the FCDA’s Department of Development Control, accompanied by security agents including operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), allegedly stormed the estate and demolished buildings in defiance of the court’s directive.

A resident, who identified himself as Mr Emmanuel, said Wednesday’s exercise was another round of demolition carried out following a report by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), which he noted had further heightened tension in the estate.

He recalled that last Friday, the demolition team was prevented from accessing the area by security personnel of the Margaret Lawrence University Teaching Hospital Cancer Centre and residents carrying placards, who locked the entrance gate and denied them access to the facility.

Mrs O. Bisi, a resident of the estate and a council member of Margaret Lawrence University, described the development as bizarre, saying Development Control bulldozers were seen approaching the cancer centre around 6 p.m. during unofficial hours.

“When all these started, we were advised to go to court, which we did. We obtained an order for the judicial review of the Ministerial Committee’s report,” she said.

“For good measure, we wrote to the Director of Development Control on December 9, 2025, with a letter titled ‘Warning Against Contempt of Court and Notification of True Directorship of Jonahcapital/River Park Estate.’

“We attached a copy of the letter and the order of Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the High Court of the FCT, made on September 17, 2025.

“Unfortunately, this evening, shortly after 6 p.m., we saw FCDA officials arrive with bulldozers and various security personnel, insisting that we must open our gate for them to carry out demolition inside the estate,” Bisi said.

Also speaking, Prof. Samuel Asala, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Margaret Lawrence University, expressed shock over what he described as the destruction of facilities critical to the training of medical doctors.

“They came in through another gate after 6 p.m. Given the earlier demolition, this was clearly a follow-up exercise, during which part of our teaching hospital was demolished,” he said.

“A teaching hospital is central to the training of medical students. If it is destroyed, it sets everything back—not just for the university, but for Nigeria as a whole, because these students are being trained to serve the country.”

Asala also expressed concern that the university was not notified ahead of the demolition exercise.

The prolonged ownership dispute over River Park Estate intensified in June when the Nigeria Police filed a 26-count charge against a Nigerian lawyer, Abu Arome, and three Ghanaians—Sam Jonah, a Knight of the British Empire (KBE); Kojo Ansah; Victor Quainoo—as well as a company, Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd.

The defendants were slated for arraignment before an Abuja High Court sitting at Gwarimpa in August 2025. However, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice later directed that the case file be transferred to his office.

The charge, marked CR/402/2025 and dated June 25, was filed on June 26 by Isa Garba, a prosecuting counsel in the Legal/Prosecution Section, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Meanwhile, while the AGF is reviewing the case file, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, set up a Ministerial Committee which reportedly set aside the police final investigation and forensic reports upon which the Ghanaians and their Nigerian lawyer were charged to court.

Edited by Dada Ahmed.