A major land dispute has erupted in the Federal Capital Territory as the management of Premier Homes Estate in the Sabon Lugbe area of Abuja accused officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, of invading its property, assaulting workers, and disrupting construction activities.
The Managing Director of Premier Homes Interproject Limited, Chief J. Mamman, alleged that armed Civil Defence personnel stormed the estate on May 18 with several operational vehicles and attacked workers clearing land within the estate. According to him, six workers sustained injuries and were later detained for several hours at the NSCDC Zone Five Command in Wuse before their release later that evening.
Chief Mamman explained that Premier Homes legally acquired 28 hectares of land from KYC Interproject Limited, which he said is covered by a valid Federal Capital Development Authority Right of Occupancy. He added that all necessary agreements and documentation supporting the transaction were duly signed.
The company further claimed that tension began after the NSCDC Cooperative Society allegedly laid claim to a portion of the estate measuring about three hectares. According to the developer, work had continued peacefully on untouched portions of the land until the latest confrontation.
The estate’s site manager, Muhammad Jamiu Yakubu, alleged that NSCDC officers arrived at the site in multiple vehicles, including Hilux trucks and a black jeep, led by senior officials of the Corps’ Cooperative Society Unit. He claimed workers were assaulted while carrying out routine land clearing operations.
However, the NSCDC has strongly denied the allegations. Assistant Commandant Boniface Udeh, who heads the Cooperative Society Unit of the FCT Command, described the accusations as false and misleading. He insisted that officers only responded to distress calls from members of the cooperative society who were allegedly attacked while visiting land belonging to the group.
Udeh maintained that the disputed property legally belongs to the NSCDC Cooperative Society and alleged that Premier Homes may be relying on cloned or questionable land documents to justify what he described as illegal occupation of the area.
According to him, both parties had previously appeared before the Abuja Geographic Information System, AGIS, where ownership records allegedly favoured the cooperative society.
The dispute has raised fresh concerns over recurring land ownership conflicts in the Federal Capital Territory, especially involving developers, cooperative societies, and government agencies. Both parties insist they possess legitimate documents backing their claims as calls grow for authorities to intervene and prevent further escalation.
