The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Thursday demolished an estate comprising 11-storey buildings in the Apo-Dutse area of Abuja for violating building and safety regulations.
The buildings, consisting of three- and four-bedroom flats, were constructed directly beneath a high-tension power line and on the path of a proposed bridge project, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
Director of the Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who supervised the exercise, said the demolition followed the developer’s repeated disregard for safety standards and multiple stop-work notices from the FCTA.
Galadima explained that the developers ignored formal warnings and proceeded with construction despite being informed that the location was unsafe for residential development.
“The estate is not only under a high-tension line but also obstructs the route of a planned bridge,” Galadima stated.
He further clarified that the developers’ original land allocation was made in error and that their building plan application was rejected because of the site’s proximity to both a power line and a stream channel.
The Federal Capital Development Authority’s Engineering Department had earlier indicated plans for bridge construction on the same corridor, leaving the administration with no option but to clear the estate.
Galadima said the developers were offered alternative plots but failed to accept them before beginning the illegal project. He added that the demolished structures were ineligible for compensation since they lacked approved development permits.
He also noted that the FCTA might prosecute the developers and recover the demolition costs as part of sanctions for violating Abuja’s planning laws.
