Disputed Maitama Extension Belongs to Nigerian Army says FCT Minister

As the Senate moves to end the dispute between the Military and allottees of Maitama Extension, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Moham­med Bello, has confirmed that the land belongs to the Nigerian Army.
He, however, assured that all allottees of the 238 hectares of land will be ad­equately compensated.
Bello made the pledge at a meeting with the Senate Committee on Federal Cap­ital Territory (FCT) over the land dispute involving the Nigerian Army and some civilians allocated plots in the Matama area by the pre­vious FCT administration.

The minister said the FCT administration is working out modalities to compen­sate the owners of the con­troversial plots as a way out of resolving the crisis.
The Nigerian Army had on September 13, 2016 deployed soldiers to the disputed Mataima exten­sion area destroying equip­ment on site and disrupting movements, prompting the allottees to protest at the National Assembly.
The AUTHORITY gath­ered that the disputed land which was originally allo­cated to the Nigerian Army in 1996 and marked military zone was equally reallocated to some individuals in 2009 by the Federal Capital Ter­ritory administration at the cost of N5.6billion thereby fuelling crisis between the army and the civilian allo­tees.
The minister, who ac­knowledged that the land in question was actually earmarked for the Nigerian Army, but was reallocated said he has been meeting with the Chief of Army Staff to resolve the matter, adding that he needed more time to resolve the matter with the army authorities.