By Stanley Onyekwere
A major legal battle is brewing in Abuja as property owners in the highbrow Wuse II district move to block a looming demolition exercise by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Residents of Kampala Street have formally warned the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) to halt all enforcement actions, declaring that any attempt to tear down structures would constitute direct contempt of court.
In the legal dispute with suit no. CV/1022/26, the conflict centers on prime real estate located on Kampala Street, just off the bustling Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent.
Represented by the law firm M.P. Anaukyaa & Co., six primary claimants—led by Mrs. Nnennaya M. Okeke dragged the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and Corporate Ideals Properties Limited before the High Court of the FCT in the Garki Judicial Division.
In a formal legal notice dated June 2, 2026, the claimants’ solicitors confirmed that all critical court processes have been served on the defendants.
These include a writ of summons, motion on notice, and form 48 (Notice of consequence of disobedience to court order).
The active injunction restraining the parties was originally granted on April 2, 2026.
At the heart of the residents’ defense is an active, subsisting enrolled order issued by the FCT High Court.
The order explicitly directs all parties to maintain the status quo pending the final hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
Because the AMMC operates under the direct authority of the FCT Minister, the legal team stressed that any enforcement action by the council would directly violate judicial boundaries.
“Any attempt to carry out any demolition will not only occasion injustice and irreparable damage, but it will amount to total disrespect and disregard of the express order of the court directing that status quo be maintained pending the hearing and determination of the case,” the legal notice firmly stated.
Defending the legitimacy of the neighborhood, the lawyers highlighted that the targeted properties are not illegal structures or makeshift shanties erected overnight.
Instead, they are fully developed, permanent buildings, some of which have stood peacefully in Wuse II for more than 30 years.
To substantiate the long-standing development of the zone, the law firm attached photographic evidence of the buildings to the formal notice sent to the AMMC.
They argued that demolishing properties with decades of existence before a judicial resolution would inflict irreversible financial and structural ruin on the owners and actively make a mockery of the rule of law.
As of press time, neither the leadership of the AMMC nor the wider FCTA has issued a public counter-statement regarding the notice.
The high-stakes legal standoff is set to intensify when the matter returns to the FCT High Court for its next scheduled hearing.
