
News
Wike, Naval officer face-off: More facts emerge as FCTA clarifies land status
Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA) have taken responsibility for the incident that occurred on Tuesday, at a disputed site on Plot 1946 Gaduwa District, involving the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and a naval officer, Lt. A.M Yerima.
A video showing Wike being blocked by naval officers from accessing a disputed property linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd), had gone viral.
But the Director of the FCTA Department of Development Control, Tpl Mukhtar Galadima, while providing a detailed account of events and clarifying the legality of the ongoing development, expressed regret over the incident.
Galadima, who spoke to journalists after the FCT Executive Committee (EXCO) meeting, recounted the tense encounter and issued a formal apology for dragging the Minister into the matter.
He said: “It is with a sense of commitment, emotion and regret that we address this press conference on the incident that happened on Tuesday, 11th of November, 2025, at the Gaduwa District.

“On the 17th of October, staff of the Department of Development Control on routine monitoring of ongoing development within the respective districts of the Federal Capital City noticed an ongoing development within the corridor of the Southern Parkway and when enquiring the necessary approval status and documents, they were met by stiff resistance and threat to shoot by men of the Nigerian Navy.
“The matter was reported to me on the 18th. I appealed to a colleague and course mate and naval officer, to intervene and prevail on the officers on site to attend to our request. So the request was granted”.
Galadima explained that the officers on site claimed all their approvals were with their lawyers and engineers, and that what was eventually provided was merely a letter of intent issued in 2007 by the Department of Parks and Recreation, not a formal approval.
“We came back on Monday, the same site, I met the officer, Navy Lieutenant Yarima, and I appealed to him, please, if you have this approval, show it to us, because what was sent to us is not an approval, it’s just a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
“So, while this discussion was going on, the lawyer came. And the lawyer said, no, the next solution is the Department of Development Control. I said, as a lawyer, there is a clear difference between submission and approval, and you know it is illegal within the prohibitions of the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992 to commence development in the Federal Capital Territory without approval. He said he’s aware, but the solution is under process. I said, then this development is illegal”, he added.
Galadima said he sent a distress call to the Minister due to the presence of armed men on site, which led to the public confrontation.
He apologised to the Minister and to Nigerians for the tense situation, while reinforcing that the development was unauthorized.
The director said; “I want to sincerely apologize to the Honorable Minister for dragging him into this situation on that fateful Tuesday. On that fateful Tuesday, when we were there to enforce the directive of the Honorable Minister, we noticed the impending danger because armed men were strategically positioned, ready to shoot.
“And seeing this, I sent a distress call to the Honorable Minister to come to the site for an on-the-spot assessment. And on getting there, that ugly incident happened, which I’m really sorry to the Honorable Minister, I apologize to the Honorable Minister, indeed to all Nigerians for what happened”.
The Director however emphasised that the enforcement was consistent with the laws governing urban development and land use in the FCT, including the FCT Act of 1976 and the Urban and Regional Planning Law of 1992.
The Director of Lands Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, while providing further context on the legal status of the land and why the development could not proceed, maintained that the claimants had no statutory title to the property.
He explained that they were relying on an 18-year-old letter of intent from the Department of Parks and Recreation, which merely allowed them to manage and operate a designated park site, but did not confer any legal right of occupancy or approval to build.
“The claimants have relied on a letter of intent issued by the Department of Parks and Recreation in 2007, 18 years ago, to develop, manage and operate a designated park site. Letter of intent, not statutory right of occupancy. I wish to make it clear that in the FCT, the only thing that gives you title to land is statutory right of occupancy. Letter of intent is not a title.
“Since having not submitted a detailed technical proposal, no lease agreement was given to him. He did not develop and complete development on the site within one year as he didn’t build anything by 2008.”
Nwankwoeze further stated that the letter of intent carried strict conditions, including submission of a detailed technical proposal within 21 days and completion of development within a year—none of which were met by the claimants.
He said; “All they did was after all of those papers were withdrawn, they moved into those sites and started building illegally. Beyond not having title, in Abuja you cannot build anything without approval of the plans you submitted. Because the Department of Development Control will look at your design proposal and certify and ascertain that what you propose to develop is in line with the dictates of the master plan”.
The officials stressed that their interventions were necessary to uphold the rule of law and proper urban planning, while also acknowledging the disruption caused to the Minister and the public perception of the incident.
News
Gunmen on rampage in Awka: Popular media personality- Isaac Nwosu shot dead
• Police Commissioner visits family, vows to get perpetrators
By Chuks Collins, Awka
Some yet to be identified three-man assassins suspected to be cultists have k!lled a very popular media personality in Awka Sunday afternoon.
The popular public announcer and broadcaster/radio guest artiste, comedian -Isaac Nwosu, aka ‘Aiza Nwosu’, was according to eye witnesses shot point while on the steering on the street of the Anambra capital city of Awka.
He was said to have been shot alongside two other victims at separate locations, point-blank, gangster style.
The State Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Oji Ama, today 31st August 2026 after a 2-hour closed-door strategic meeting with the Command’s strategic and operational officers as part of ongoing efforts to reassess information from the public especially within Awka to strengthen security operations and sustain the fight against violent crime, paid a condolence visit to the family of late Nwosu.

In his reaction shortly after the visit, Ama vowed to fish out the assailants.
Eyewitnesses who spoke to journalists said the unfortunate acts were apparently by the same assailants on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
Late Nwosu was shot along S.M. Okeke Street, Amaikwo area of Awka.
Whereas the other victims were shot dead along Capital City Road, Amaenyi area in Awka.
Eyewitnesses and residents believed the dastardly act. were cult related.
According to one of the witnesses, “The assailants, numbering about three and driving in a tinted vehicle, trailed the comedian from his home, double-crossed his vehicle and before attacking and shooting him dead.
“They left the victim in a pool of blood inside his car. As they drove some distance away, they also shot another victim d3ad by the roadside, dispossessed him of his belongings and fled.
“The assailants fired some shots into the air before leaving the scene in a commando-like manner, thereby creating tension in the area. After they left, the security operatives arrived at the scene and recovered the lifeless bodies of the victims.
“The security operatives later beefed up security around the areas following the incident.”
Some videos circulating online showed the lifeless bodies of the victims lying in pools of blood at different locations as onlookers gathered around the scenes.
The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday, August 31.
News
Kano APC Chairman shot dead by terrorists
Terrorists have shot dead the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman of Rantan Ward in Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State, Alhaji Garba Buba, during an attack on the community.
Buba was killed on Sunday night, August 30, 2026, after terrorists reportedly invaded Rantan community and opened fire on residents. Another resident identified as Sulaiman Zunduma was also killed during the attack.
A resident of the community, Hamza Isah Rantan, confirmed the incident in a Facebook post, saying the attack forced residents to flee their homes in search of safety.
According to Hamza, the terrorists shot Buba inside his house before he was taken to a hospital for treatment. He, however, died from the injuries sustained during the attack.
Hamza also said Zunduma was shot during the invasion and died instantly. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims while praying for the recovery of those who sustained injuries.

“On Sunday night kidnappers attacked our town, Rantan, where they shot Alhaji Garab Buha, the APC ward chairman in Rantan, who later died in a hospital. They also killed another resident, Sulaiman Zunduma,” Hamza said.
The development was also confirmed by the Kano State APC spokesperson, Alhaji Auwalu Soja, who said Buba was killed on Sunday. He added that the party would issue an official statement on the incident.
The killing occurred less than 24 hours after another attack in the area, where three residents of Garun-Mallam were reportedly killed by unidentified attackers. The successive attacks have heightened concerns over the security situation in communities around the area.
The latest killing has further raised concerns over the safety of residents in Kano communities, with calls growing for security agencies to strengthen operations and prevent further attacks.
As of the time of this report, the identities and motives of those responsible for the Rantan attack had not been officially established.
News
Ex-Bayelsa Gov, Timipre Sylva dumps APC, gives reasons
Former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress, citing what he described as the party’s departure from its founding ideals.
Sylva, a founding member of the APC, announced his resignation in a letter dated August 31, 2026, addressed to the APC Chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
He said he made the decision after consulting his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.
Sylva also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying it had disappointed most Nigerians and expressing confidence that voters would seek a change in the 2027 general elections.
In the letter, which was electronically delivered, Sylva said he could no longer remain in a party whose leaders appeared to believe that “all is fair in politics.”

He wrote, “Having consulted widely with my family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers, I wish to formally tender my resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), with immediate effect.
“As a founding member of the APC, and one who joined other well-meaning Nigerians in building the party with sweat and money, it is deeply saddening to witness how the ideals we espoused have been so thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted.
“Moreover, I cannot, in all good conscience, continue to belong to a party whose leaders believe that ‘all is fair in politics;’ and have consistently demonstrated that belief in practice.
“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it. Unfortunately, this mentality appears to underpin virtually every action, and even inaction, of this administration.”
The former governor said the APC-led government had failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, adding that he saw no realistic effort to change its direction.
“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians. And I can see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a revamp,” he said.
Sylva said he had therefore decided to leave the party rather than remain part of what he described as a “floundering ship.”
“I am therefore left with no other choice than to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities. I have no doubt that, in the coming election, Nigerians will vote for Nigeria and free the Country from this stranglehold on our beautiful country,” he stated.
Sylva also explained why he copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in his resignation letter.
He said he knew the decision could lead to increased scrutiny of him and his associates but was prepared to face the consequences.
“I am fully aware that this action of mine may invite a redoubled witch-hunt against me and my associates, but that is a risk I am willing to take,” he said.
Copies of the resignation letter were also sent to the National Chairman of the APC, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC and the APC Chairman in Bayelsa State.
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