Officials of the Development Control Department of the FCTA Administration who pulled down 11 duplexes said be built under high tension wire have been arrested.
According to Daily Trust, the demolished duplexes, located at Apo-Dutse district of Abuja, belong to the Police Pension Commission.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who visited the site Friday evening expressed disappointment over the conduct of the police, describing it as unfortunate that a government institution would disregard the laws it is meant to uphold.
The minister said, “Yesterday, I got a report from the Development Control Department that they had to come here to stop some buildings that were going on under a high-tension line. Unfortunately, these structures belong to the Nigerian Police.”
“They applied for approval, but the Development Control refused because of the location. You can see where the high-tension line passes, it’s risky. Despite being told to stop, they refused, and when enforcement officers came to ensure compliance, they were arrested by the Police. I had to come and see things for myself.” He added.
The minister emphasized that the government cannot condone lawlessness, regardless of who is involved.
“Even if there was no high-tension line here, once Development Control has denied approval, you cannot take the law into your hands because you have force. The government is here to enforce rules, not to break them.’’
The director of Development Control, Muktar Galadima provided further details on the situation.
He explained that the location is at Plot 189, Cadastral Zone B14, Dutse District, allocated to the Nigeria Police Force in 2018 for institutional development.
“When they applied for approval, we visited the site and saw that the buildings were directly under a high-tension line. We declined approval and communicated this to them. Despite our warning and several notices, they went ahead with excavation and construction.” Galadima said.
He added that the Department of Engineering had also notified Development Control that the site was needed for a flood-control bridge.
The director said, “We had to act because, in case of any disaster, we would be held responsible. Unfortunately, during the enforcement, some of our officers were detained by the Police. I had to report to the Minister, who intervened immediately.’’
