Tungamaje Demolitions: Reps Set to Hear Army, FCTA and Residents Over Abuja Land Dispute

The long-running dispute over demolitions in Tungamaje, Abuja, is heading back to the National Assembly, with the Nigerian Army, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and representatives of affected communities expected to appear before the House of Representatives Public Petitions Committee on Wednesday, September 16.

The hearing follows renewed controversy over the destruction of houses in the Federal Capital Territory and unresolved questions surrounding ownership, land allocation and the authority behind the demolition exercises.

According to reporting published on September 15, the committee rescheduled the hearing after an earlier meeting planned for September 3 did not proceed as expected. The FCTA Director of Lands is expected to represent the administration, while military representatives and affected residents have also been invited.

Why the Tungamaje dispute matters

Tungamaje is a growing community in the Federal Capital Territory where residents have been involved in a prolonged dispute with military authorities over land and access to property and farmland.

The latest legislative intervention follows fresh demolitions reported in August. Platform Times reported that more than 10 houses were pulled down in the community on August 20, while residents said military personnel warned that further demolitions could follow.

Earlier in August, residents of Angwa Dio and Angwa Shibaba, two communities within Tungamaje, reportedly faced orders to leave their homes. Community sources said more than 30 houses had been marked for demolition, although those figures represent residents’ or community claims rather than an independently established total.

The dispute has therefore developed beyond an isolated demolition exercise. It now involves broader questions about the legal and administrative status of land in parts of the FCT.

House of Representatives intervenes again

The House of Representatives Public Petitions Committee had previously intervened in the Tungamaje matter.

In January 2026, lawmakers directed the Nigerian Army to suspend demolition-related activities in the area while a petition from affected residents was being considered. Reporting at the time said residents had complained that properties were being demolished without due process.

The renewed demolitions have since brought the issue back before lawmakers.

Reports from August said the committee summoned military authorities and the FCTA Director of Lands to explain the circumstances surrounding the demolitions and clarify the status of the disputed properties. The committee’s concerns reportedly extended beyond Tungamaje to other locations in the FCT where military-linked demolitions had also been alleged.

What residents are saying

Affected residents have described the demolitions and eviction threats as a serious threat to their homes, property and livelihoods.

Community members have disputed the basis for removing them from the affected areas and have raised questions about land ownership and access to farmland.

HipCity Innovation Centre, a civil-society organisation that has followed the dispute, said in an August 10 statement that residents of Angwa Dio and Angwa Shibaba had been directed to vacate their homes amid an unresolved land dispute involving the Nigerian Army.

The organisation called for a suspension of demolition or forced eviction until the legal status of the disputed land could be independently established. It also called for affected residents to have access to information, legal remedies and compensation where applicable.

These are positions advanced by residents and civil-society groups. They do not by themselves establish the legal ownership of the disputed land or determine whether individual demolitions were lawful.

The Army’s position and the unresolved land question

A central issue before the lawmakers is expected to be the legal status of the land involved.

Reports on the dispute have described competing claims involving residents, military authorities and land administration officials. Residents have asserted ancestral and other interests in parts of the land, while military authorities have been reported as maintaining that some areas fall within military jurisdiction or are subject to previous allocations.

The precise legal status of individual properties therefore matters. A general description of the dispute cannot determine ownership of every affected plot.

That is one reason the involvement of the FCTA Director of Lands is significant. The committee is expected to seek clarification about land allocation and the administrative records surrounding the affected areas.

Fresh demolitions increased pressure for answers

The latest round of controversy intensified after reports of demolitions on August 20.

Platform Times reported that more than 10 houses were demolished and that residents were warned against continuing construction on properties affected by the dispute. Other reports carried similar accounts from residents.

The reports have not independently established the legal status of every demolished property, nor do they establish that every property identified by residents is subject to the same legal claim.

For that reason, the upcoming hearing is important primarily as an opportunity for the different parties to put their positions and supporting documents before the committee.

What the lawmakers are expected to examine

The committee’s intervention is expected to focus on several questions:

• What is the legal status of the land involved?
• Which authorities have jurisdiction over the affected properties?
• What documents support the competing land claims?
• On what legal basis were demolition or eviction orders issued?
• What notice was given to affected residents?
• Which properties have already been demolished?
• Are additional demolitions planned?
• What remedies are available to residents whose properties have been affected?

The answers could determine whether the dispute is resolved administratively, continues through legislative intervention or moves into further legal proceedings.

A dispute that has continued despite earlier intervention

The Tungamaje case illustrates the difficulty of resolving land disputes when competing claims involve residents, government institutions and military authorities.

Lawmakers previously intervened in January, yet fresh demolition activity was reported months later. HipCity Innovation Centre also pointed to the earlier House intervention when calling for another suspension of eviction and demolition activity in August.

The latest hearing therefore represents another attempt to bring the relevant parties together and establish the facts surrounding the disputed properties.

As of the latest reporting available before the scheduled September 16 hearing, the outcome of the meeting had not yet been established. Any decisions, directives or new evidence presented at the hearing would need to be assessed separately from the allegations and claims that have circulated during the dispute.

For residents facing possible loss of homes and farmland, the immediate question is whether the renewed legislative intervention will produce a clear determination of the disputed land and prevent further uncertainty.