EXTRA: ‘Shut up… you’re stupid’ — Wike berates FCT residents over ‘land grabbing’

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), lashed out at residents of the Lugbe area over alleged land grabbing.

On Tuesday, the minister paid a visit to the area after residents reportedly protested and prevented the demolition of their properties.

Donning a blue suit and his trademark bowler hat, a furious Wike, who was surrounded by security operatives, gave a coterie of the residents a lecture on how to legally acquire land.

“It cannot work. You cannot come to a place and seize land and say it is your own. We will not allow that. If not for lawlessness…” the minister said in a raspy tone.

“If you do not know what to do, we will teach you what to do.”

The residents protested the minister’s claim and said they had documents to prove legal ownership of the land.

“We are not land grabbers, we are developers. We have papers. We have submitted these papers to the authorities,” they chorused.

It was all Wike needed to fly off the handle.

“Shut up!” the minister thundered.

“Every land in the FCT belongs to the FCT. The supreme court said the area councils do not have that power to allot land. And that was why the area councils came to us to grant them that request.

“The only thing you can do is go to court. If you like harass us. I will not settle you because you have taken laws into your hands.

“Who told you you can talk? Is it because I came down to talk to you? If you think that you take something… you are not the only one. Be careful. Stupid.”

Recently, the FCT administration has been demolishing properties over alleged flouting of the city’s masterplan.

Mukhtar Galadima, director of development control at FCTA, said the structures were illegally erected by alleged land grabbers.

In March, Wike told the house of representatives committee on FCT that some officials of the federal capital development authority (FCDA) illegally allocated land to individuals and developers before he was appointed minister.

“Every year, we have no less than 1,000 suits, and all these require a lot of money. As we speak today, we have more than 600 judgments on FCT,” he said.