Illegal occupants will be thrown out, poverty is not an excuse – Wike says as he vows to demolish shanties in FCT

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his stance against shanties in Abuja, declaring them illegal and insisting that their occupants will be removed.

Speaking during a live media chat on Monday, September 1, Wike argued that the makeshift settlements not only disfigure the city but also serve as hideouts for criminals. He dismissed poverty as an excuse for illegal occupation, stressing that crime and insecurity cannot be justified on those grounds.

The minister cited past instances, including a March 2025 demolition order in Gishiri and Katampe, where occupants were given a three-month grace period but failed to vacate. He also accused some community leaders of enabling the problem by not enforcing evacuations.

Wike maintained that his administration would continue demolishing illegal structures on government land despite criticism or blackmail. “There are so many land grabbers. Some of us have come to put our feet down. Let heaven fall,” he declared.

“When you say shanties, are shanties legal? You see, we cannot joke with the security. You have complained about insecurity, kidnapping, and ‘one-chance’. These are people who occupy all these charities. In fact, sometimes, they take over the corridors where the road is supposed to pass. And when you want to do road, they say, ‘compensate’. Compensate who? It is not correct. Mind you, criminals don’t stay where you will locate them. Criminals stay in these locations where you cannot locate them,” he said.

“We’re going to make sure that all illegal occupants of anywhere will be thrown out. It’s unfortunate. There’s nothing we can do about it because security is paramount. Any government that cannot provide security for citizens has no business in government. You see, we have to be careful about this poverty thing and no poverty thing.”