The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has levelled serious allegations against FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of gross abuse of office, impunity, and serious land misconduct in Abuja.
Speaking in a recent interview, Kingibe disclosed that Wike allegedly reduced his son’s ₦200 million land bill to ₦2 million within 48 hours, and further revoked vast portions of institutional land without legal backing.
The senator referred to documentary evidence showing Wike’s son received large land allocations, with the minister purportedly approving a drastic reduction in fees, describing the act as “unfair, unethical and clearly illegal.”
“I have documents to show that Minister Wike allocated lands to his son… they wrote asking that he should give a waiver on the bill and reduce it,” Kingibe alleged on an Arise TV programme.
The lawmaker further accused Wike of leading the FCT with impunity, flouting laws and bypassing the National Assembly in the re-establishment of agencies. “The minister doesn’t obey the rule of law. He’s autocratic… when you try to draw his attention… he doesn’t accept that,” she said.
She pointed to his revocation of 7,000 hectares of land from the University of Abuja, leaving it with just 4,000 hectares, a move she called “against the Land Use Act.” Further examples included land in Bwari originally allocated for a general hospital, which she claimed was repurposed for commercial development.
“He revoked it and he’s having some sort of a market or mall… put on it,” Kingibe noted.
Kingibe also criticised Wike’s termination of indigent street sweepers without replacing them with machinery, leading to a visibly untidy city. “He comes, he’s fired them all… Then he doesn’t replace them with mechanical street sweepers. So Abuja is looking dirty,” she lamented.
The senator accused the minister of harassing residents and embassies over ground rent enforcement. “Minister Wike has been harassing all of FCT over ground rent, including embassies,” she added.
These accusations echo recent investigative reports from The Gazette, which revealed Wike allocated an estimated 2,082 hectares (₦3.6 billion) to his son Joaquin, bypassing regulations and waiving required payments. In a separate case, his other son, Jordan, reportedly received 1,740 hectares ($2.85 billion) in Abuja.
Kingibe has vowed to submit evidence to appropriate bodies, including the National Assembly, for investigation. “I’m going to take those documents and go to the body… and insist that… the National Assembly… approve everything,” she declared.
She claimed her communication with Wike’s office has been ignored. “Even when I write letters, there’s no response… This is not how democracy is meant to function,” she asserted.
Kingibe also revealed security concerns, recounting how a black SUV followed her from the airport after an oversight visit, a move she perceived as intimidation.
Wike’s spokesman later dismissed these claims, accusing the senator of ignorance regarding the Land Use Act. The allegations have intensified scrutiny of the FCT minister’s administration and raised questions about transparency in land allocation processes in the nation’s capital.
