By TAIYE AGBAJE

The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), on Wednesday, demolished River Park Estate in Abuja, in spite of a subsisting court order.

The FCDA officers, accompanied by the police and other security personnel, moved into the site with bulldozers and demolished the multi-million structures located within the estate while the suit was still pending in court.

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

Two property developers; Jonahcapital Nigeria Ltd and Houses For Africa Nigeria Ltd had sued the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and FCDA in respect of dispute over ownership of the estate.

Justice Zubairu had, after hearing a motion ex-parte dated and filed on Sept. 11 marked: M/11417/2025, moved by Anthony Malik, SAN, granted the application of the plaintiffs as prayed.

Malik had, in the motion, 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 on the issues affecting River Park Estate Lugbe in Abuja,

Specifically, the court ordered “that the grant of the above relief, supra, 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.”

However, officers of the Department of Development Control of the FCDA with security agents, including operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), stormed the estate and pulled down buildings against the valid order of court.

A resident, who identified himself as Mr Emmanuel, said that Wednesday’s exercise was another round of demolition in the estate carried out as a result of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)’s report, which had further aggravated the fury.

It would be recalled that on Friday, the demolition team were prevented by the security staff of Margaret Lawrence University Teaching Hospital Cancer Centre and some placards carrying residents, who locked the entrance gate, thereby denying them access into the cancer centre.

Mrs. O. Bisi, a resident of the estate and a council member of Margaret Lawrence University, told newsmen that it was bizarre to see Development Control bulldozers closing in on the cancer centre during unofficial time of 6pm last Friday.

“When all these started, we were advised to go to court, which we did. We got an order for the judicial review of the Ministerial Committee report.

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

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

“Unfortunately, today, this evening around past 6pm, we saw FCDA people, come with bulldozers with different security personnel to our gate, and were even telling us that we must open our gate for them to come and conduct demolition inside the estate” Bisi said.

Also speaking, Prof. Samuel Asala, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Margaret Lawrence University, expressed dismay that the FCDA officials came to pull down to rubble, an institution where Nigerian students are being trained as medical doctors.

“They came in through the side of the other gate around after 6pm.

“Considering the issue at stake, and the demolition they did before, they came to follow up on what they had done before, which was to demolish part of our teaching hospital.

“Teaching hospital is where the university trains students, and if that is demolished, it’s just setting everything back.

“These students are going to be trained for Nigerians, not just for owner of the university, but for Nigerians as a whole.

“And for us, anything that leads to destruction of the property that is on going, is actually setting the university and the training of doctors and health services in Nigeria, way back” he said.

Asala expressed concern that the Development Control did not notify the university that they would be coming for the exercise.

The protracted ownership feud of River Park Estate, climaxed when the Nigerian police, in June, preferred a 26-count charge against a Nigerian lawyer, Abu Arome, and three Ghanaians.

The three Ghanaians are Sam Jonah, a Knight of British Empire (KBE); Kojo Ansah, Victor Quainoo, and a company, Mobus Property Nigeria Ltd.

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

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

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

• PHOTO: The demolished structures at River Park Estate in Abuja by the officers of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) on Wednesday in Abuja