The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Monday, warned that those involved in illegal means of acquiring land in the territory would be prosecuted.

Malam Murktar Galadima, the Director Department of Development Control, gave the warning after pulling down illegal structures built in Lugbe, Phase V of the Federal Captial City (FCC).

He also said the administration was going to prosecute anyone found developing a plot without valid proof of ownership.

“It is land grabbing when individual claims to own about 149 plots, fence it, and then combine it as an estate.

” They start development without a valid title or approve the plan.

“Two weeks ago, we came and marked the structures for removal but they fail to obey the order, and they continued building it.

” That is why we are enforcing the action. We came this morning to clear the illegal structures.

“We removed some, but in the process, they incited people within the area to stop the exercise. We are going to restrategize and return for the exercise,” he said.

The director said that those behind the illegal development are not known but the department would continue to resist the illegality.

“We are going to show the erring developers that there are law and government despite their resistance we will not stop”

He described residents that build without legal approval by the department of development control as “land grabbers.”

He said the department was planning Lugbe to be in conformity with the Abuja master plan of the FCC.

Galadima reiterated that prosecution of land grabbers would be a general exercise across the Federal Captial Territory.