The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has restated his administration’s determination to demolish shanties across Abuja, insisting that such structures are illegal, unsafe, and dangerous to the security of residents.
Speaking during a live media chat on Monday, Wike said makeshift settlements were not only distorting the Abuja master plan but also providing cover for criminals involved in kidnapping, robbery, and “one-chance” operations.
“When you say shanties, are shanties legal? We cannot joke with security. You have complained about insecurity, kidnapping, and ‘one-chance’. These are people who occupy all these shanties. Criminals don’t stay where you can easily locate them; they stay in these hidden places,” Wike explained.
The FCT Minister dismissed arguments that poverty was forcing thousands of residents to live in informal settlements, stressing that the Federal Government cannot provide housing for every Nigerian.
According to him, poverty should not be used as a justification for lawlessness or the endangerment of lives.
“We cannot say because of poverty, we should allow you to kill people, rob people, or kidnap people. That’s not allowed. It also defaces the city, and that is why we are asking landowners why they allow criminals to settle on undeveloped plots,” he said.
Wike added that any government unable to provide security had no business in power, emphasizing that safety of lives and property would always take priority over sentimental appeals.
The minister recalled that in March 2025, residents of Gishiri in Katampe were given a three-month grace period to vacate before demolition began for road construction. Despite repeated warnings, he said the communities refused to leave until bulldozers arrived.
He further accused some community chiefs and landowners of encouraging illegality by renting out or tolerating shanty settlements on undeveloped lands.
This position is consistent with Wike’s earlier defense of demolition exercises in December 2024, when he declared that he would not be swayed by blackmail or criticism. At that time, the minister insisted that properties pulled down by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) were illegally constructed on government land.
“We are not afraid of blackmail. Let heaven fall; it is even better that heaven comes down now,” Wike remarked while distributing operational vehicles to security agencies in Abuja.
Urban planning experts argue that the demolition drive is part of efforts to restore the Abuja master plan, which has been distorted over decades by uncontrolled migration and unregulated settlements.
However, human rights groups and some civil society organisations have repeatedly called on the government to adopt a humanitarian approach, warning that large-scale demolitions without adequate resettlement plans could worsen homelessness and deepen poverty in the capital.
Residents of demolished communities often complain about lack of alternative housing and allege selective enforcement of the city’s planning laws.
