By Ismaila Jimoh, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike has stormed Gaduwa District of the territory where illegal development of a property said to be owned by a retired Vice Admiral slated for demolition was prevented by some Naval Officers when the demolition squad arrived the area.
Wike, having received information on Tuesday from the officials saddle with the responsibility of the task, left for the site in company of other senior officers of the Administration, but on getting there at Plot 1946,Buffer Transit Southern Park Way,Gaduwa Distict met a resistant Naval Officers drafted from the Naval Base.
The armed military officers had blocked the entrance to the plot with their truck in other to prevent bulldozers from gaining access to the site for demolition.
Effort were made by the military officers to also prevent the Minister from having his way to the site because they claimed they are obeying an order,but, the Minister later made his way in company of his security aides.
Thereafter, after making and receiving calls, the Minister,before turning back from the spot where the military officers blocked him, vowed that he will not allow the illegal development to go on.
Wike who gave the name of the retired Naval officer as Vice Admiral Gambo disclosed that he does not have any paper or approval to carry out any development on the land in question, but only interested in grabbing the land through intimidation.
According to him: “I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position and he said that he has a problem cannot approach my office to say, look, this is what is going on, this is what is going on. But simply because he’s a military man, he could use that to intimidate Nigerians. I’m not one of those kind of persons that will succumb to blackmail or intimidation.
“And you can imagine where you cannot even tender documents to prove the legality, and the Director of Development Control said, look, I was here. I said bring the documents, you don’t have the documents.
“Bring the approval for building, you don’t have it. And how can we continue to allow lawlessness to prevail in this country? What about those who don’t have the military? What about those who don’t have security? It has gotten to a level where when government officials are carrying out their job, you go and bring security to intimidate them. And these are government officials, I will not accept that.
“I’ve spoken to the Chief of Defence Staff and I’ve spoken to the Chief of Naval Staff and they have assured me that, please, they have to resolve the matter. And we’re not coming here to have a shootout with anybody to cause chaos and all. But what I can say, I would not allow it to happen.
“The way we have done and carried out our jobs in other areas is the same way it will be done here. He will not carry out this illegal development on the land simply because he was a former Chief of Naval Staff. I would not allow that.”
