By ATTAH EDE

Residents of four residential estates in Karsana District, Abuja, have been thrown into panic over the controversial approval granted by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, establishment of an illegal market in Karsana area of Gwarimpa.

It was gathered that the estates have been battling with the challenges of illegal markets, shanties and illicit drug points and the attendant surge of knife attacks, kidnappings and other crimes in the area for years.

However, in 2024 and 2025, the Federal Capital Development Authority FCDA under Mr Muktar Galadima removed illegal markets for security reasons.

However, residents of the four estates situated on the new road leading from Dawaki through Karsana to the Renewed Hope Housing Estate, currently under construction by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, were shocked to discover a curious approval of an “Iron Condemn” illegal market within the perimeter of the estates last week.

The affected estates are the Mabglobal Estate, Ipent 7, Efab Metropolitican and Efab Queens all in the Karsana, Gwarimpa

The operatives of the market moved into area and started marking and allocating spaces for the building of markets stalls just by the perimeter fence of the estates.

The development almost led to physical confrontation between the security operatives guarding the estates and staff of the FCTA when they demanded to see their authorisation documents.

It was then that a letter, with reference No. AMMC/ADM/UA/1455 and dated 20th August 2025, with the title: Application for permission to operate and manage a temporary informal market at Mabglobal by Queen Estate, Karsana, Abuja was presented to the estates.

The letter was addressed to the MD/CEO of Fasaha and Sons Global Services Nigeria Limited, No. IA, Block B, 6th Avenue Market, Galadima, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

The letter was purportedly signed and approved by the Acting Director, Department of Urban Affairs, Abubakar A. Makama, under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council AMMC for them to build an ‘informal market’ at the location.

Parts of the letter read: “This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter and further inform you that your application has been processed accordingly.

“Having made all the necessary payments and for the fact that you are already on ground, the authority would allow you to continue to conduct your business pending the issuances of the permit,” the letter signed by Abubakar A. Makama, a town planner and the Acting Director of the AMMC, stated.

Although the letter approving the market was reportedly given in August 2025, the promoters of the construction of the ‘informal market’ began work early last week but met with stiff resistance from the residents of the four estates, which face serious security threats from the proposed market.

The occupants however, acknowledged “the tremendous effort of the immediate-past Director of Development Control (FCDA), Mukhtar Galadima, who had in the past pulled down illegal markets and shanties in Mabglobal Estate, Ipent 7, Efab Metropolitan and Efab Queens before his retirement towards the end of last year.”

They noted that the action of Galadima made it possible for the four estates located on the same road corridor to enjoy peace and tranquility.

According to them, under Galadima’s Development Control Unit, there was zero tolerance for the construction of any form of illegal markets or joint within the four residential estates.

Curiously,the department based its decision on claims that the developer was already on ground, in spite of the fact thatthe Development Control demolished the earlier market, with no authorization to build a replacement on the road and green areas.

The Mab Global Estate, (a community of about 634 houses) had written the Urban Affairs department, expressing deep fears and concern about recent structural developments around the estate which they consider inimical to their safety and security.

The estate expressed shock that the authorities under Galadima had canceled the move because of the grave issue of incessant security attacks by hoodlums in the area and wondered what had changed.

“Sometime in 2023 we received an invitation from FCDA to attend a meeting on the possible relocation of erstwhile displaced traders from within Gwarinpa to our perimeter fence.

“We attended the meeting and after the discussions it was agreed by all present that the consideration was premature, ill-timed and fraught with imminent danger to the community and that the status quo be maintained. We had assumed that with the threat of insecurity which was brought to the fore in the meeting, the issue had been laid to rest”, said Pharmacist Frederick Okonkwo, President and Mr Chibuzor Ogbonnaya, Secretary General of the association.

The residents expressed deep concern and worry that an action that outrightly endorses transfer of a shanty market from Gwarimpa is being “approved” for relocation just by their perimeter fence.

The residents therefore appealed to the leadership of the FCDA to intervene by stopping the ongoing illegal efforts to develop a makeshift market by their perimeter fence.

Update news