FCDA Staff Member Released After Detention Tied to Wike’s Controversial Land Allocations to Family
Mairiga Hassan Shaharu, a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), has been released from detention following widespread public outcry and late-night legal intervention, amid allegations that his arrest was ordered by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, confirmed Shaharu’s release in a post on his social media handles on Friday, while commending the courage of Nigerians who stood up in condemnation of this abuse of power.
Sowore also expressed gratitude to attorneys, Rosemary Hamza and AK Musa, who led the legal team that secured Shaharu’s freedom.
He wrote: “Following our late-night intervention and nationwide outcry, Mairiga Hassan Shaharu, a staff member of the FCDA who was illegally detained on the orders of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has been released by the Nigeria Police Force @policeng after it was revealed that the detention warrant obtained to detain him was forged.
“The detention, facilitated through Wike’s CSO, ACP Mohammed Iya Musa, was a blatant attempt to cover up criminal land-grabbing activities and silence legitimate whistleblowing.
“We commend the courage of Nigerians who stood up in condemnation of this abuse of power. Mr. Mairiga has since been taken to the Head of Service at the FCDA, where he is to be issued a query and given 72 hours to respond.
“We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure that Mr. Mairiga’s rights are not further violated by his superiors. We will continue to resist tyranny and ensure the liberation of our country.
“Special thanks to the roving, indomitable, ever-mobile legal patrol crew of last night, attorneys Rosemary Hamza and @AK_MUSA1. Thank you all for standing firm! #RevolutionNow”
SaharaReporters earlier reported how fresh controversy hit the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was accused of using a forged court order to detain Mairiga Hassan Shaharu, a staff member of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
Mairiga was allegedly detained over leaked documents that exposed illegal land allocations allegedly made by the Minister to his two sons.
According to Sowore, Mairiga was unlawfully detained last Friday at the FCDA Police Post on the instructions of Wike’s CSO.
The documents Mairiga was accused of leaking were first published by Peoples Gazette, exposing questionable land allocations by the Minister.
Sowore pointed out that Mairiga does not even have access to the Land Department’s internal systems, noting that his role is limited to handling new land applications, not approvals or allocations.
On Thursday night, Sowore said he visited the FCDA Police Post alongside two human rights lawyers, Rosemary Hamza and AK Musa. They were later joined by a third lawyer who had previously tried — without success — to secure Mairiga’s release.
According to the lawyers, the CSO used a forged court order to detain Mairiga. The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case refused to show them the order.
However, one of the lawyers managed to briefly view the document and discovered it was purportedly issued by a magistrate who no longer presides in the jurisdiction — a clear indication of forgery and abuse of office.
Sowore said after nearly three hours of back-and-forth communication, Wike’s CSO claimed they could not locate the IPO. But according to Sowore, this was merely a ruse to delay proceedings.
A senior female officer at the police post, who had been summoned from Karu to calm tensions, reportedly stated that she lacked the authority to release Mairiga because he was considered “Wike’s personal detainee.”
Later, the CSO allegedly called back, saying that Wike had now handed over the case to the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Ajao — the same officer recently criticised for helping imprison a TikToker on behalf of Senator Ned Nwoko and his wife, Regina Daniels.
Sowore stated that he called CP Ajao directly, but the commissioner insisted the detention was based on a valid court order — apparently unaware that the forgery had already been discovered.
“He repeated the usual excuse: ‘Go to court,’” Sowore said.
In a surprising twist, Wike’s CSO reportedly called again, saying the Minister wanted Sowore and the detained FCDA staff to meet him at his office the following morning.
Sowore stated: “Eventually, the CSO called back and claimed Wike had changed his mind. He said the matter was now ‘beyond’ him as it was now in the hands of the FCT Police Commissioner, CP Wale Ajao, the same Commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force who recently helped imprison a TikToker on behalf of Senator Prince Ned Nwoko and his youngest wife, Regina Daniels.
“I called CP Ajao directly, but he pretended the detention was based on a valid court order — unaware that we had already confirmed the order was fake. He repeated the same tactic, ‘Go to court.’
“Then came the most brazen move: Wike’s CSO called again and said Wike himself wants to see me at his office tomorrow morning alongside the detained worker. I asked him if he even knew who he was speaking to. I told him flatly, Wike couldn’t have summoned me, he knew better than to make such a mistake, and I will not be visiting his office.
“Before ending the call, I asked the CSO, ‘If Wike never allocated land to his children, why is someone being detained for leaking documents that supposedly don’t exist?’
“Wike should be the one under investigation for allocating public lands to his children — clear criminal conduct — not Citizen Mairiga.”
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