A new scandal has erupted in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike is accused of using a forged court order to detain a Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) employee, Mairiga Hassan Shaharu. The detention is allegedly linked to leaked documents revealing illegal land allocations made by the Minister to his sons.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore made the allegations on Thursday night, accusing Wike’s CSO of orchestrating an unlawful arrest using a fake court order signed by a magistrate who no longer serves in the relevant jurisdiction.
Mairiga, according to Sowore, was arrested last Friday and detained at the FCDA Police Post. The leaked documents that triggered the arrest were first published by Peoples Gazette and reportedly exposed controversial land allocations to the Minister’s sons.
Sowore insisted that Mairiga had no access to internal systems responsible for land allocations and only processed new applications. He described the arrest as a gross abuse of power and demanded an independent investigation into the Minister’s actions and the alleged forgery.
Accompanied by human rights lawyers Rosemary Hamza and A.K. Musa, Sowore visited the police post where Mairiga was held. Another lawyer, who had earlier attempted unsuccessfully to secure Mairiga’s release, joined them. According to the legal team, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) refused to show them the supposed court order. One lawyer managed to glimpse the document briefly and discovered it had been issued by a magistrate who no longer holds office in the stated jurisdiction—suggesting it was forged.
Tensions escalated when the police delayed action, claiming they couldn’t find the IPO. A senior female officer reportedly told the group she couldn’t authorize Mairiga’s release because he was considered “Wike’s personal detainee.”
Sowore later revealed that Wike’s CSO called again, saying the Minister wanted to meet with both him and Mairiga in his office the next morning. Sowore rejected the request, warning that the Minister had no authority to summon him and questioned the CSO: “If Wike never allocated land to his children, why is someone being detained for leaking documents that supposedly don’t exist?”
He added, “Wike should be under investigation for illegally allocating public land to his children—not Citizen Mairiga.”
Background: Massive Land Allocation Scandal
The controversy stems from a June 26 SaharaReporters exposé that revealed Wike allegedly allocated thousands of hectares of prime Abuja land to his son, Joaquin Wike. The report, based on leaked official documents obtained by Peoples Gazette, claims that since becoming FCT Minister in August 2023, Wike signed off on over 2,000 hectares of land in elite districts such as Maitama, Asokoro, Guzape, and Bwari—all valued at an estimated $3.6 billion.
Documents show the land was allocated through a shell company, Joaq Farms and Estates Ltd, registered on October 10, 2024—just days before receiving its first allocation. On October 17, 2024, the company was granted 350 hectares of land. Wike personally signed six Certificates of Occupancy for the company in February 2025, raising further questions about favoritism and abuse of office.
Sources close to the matter alleged that Wike not only bypassed necessary regulations but also failed to pay statutory fees, violating civil service rules and the Code of Conduct for Public Officers. In one instance, Wike was said to have seized land belonging to the Austrian Embassy and reallocated it to himself.
Despite controlling vast land wealth, the FCTA under Wike reportedly owes salaries across multiple departments, including broadcasting and environmental protection. FCT primary school teachers have also been on strike since March
