adminreporter
A staff member of the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS), Mairiga Hassan Shaharu, has been arrested by police detectives in Abuja amid an ongoing investigation into leaked documents exposing alleged illegal land allocations by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to his children.
Shaharu, who works in the Fresh Applications Unit of AGIS-the agency tasked with processing and verifying land ownership records in the FCT-was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon. His arrest was confirmed by a police spokesperson, who stated that further details would be provided later.
As of Wednesday morning, Shaharu’s whereabouts remained unknown, raising concerns among his family and colleagues that he may be facing harsh treatment. Some AGIS staff expressed fears that the minister’s response to the scandal is misdirected, targeting junior officials who have no connection to the leak.
“This is a witch-hunt,” said one AGIS official. “The minister is going after the wrong people while trying to shield himself from accountability”
Sources close to the situation allege that Wike has been increasingly agitated since the documents were made public. “He’s confused and moving fast, which is why he keeps making mistakes,” an insider told The Peoples Gazette. “He’s been drinking heavily and lashing out at everyone-even his wife.”
Wike’s wife, Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike, is a judge of the federal appellate court. A spokesperson for the minister has not responded to media inquiries on the matter.
The controversy erupted after documents published on June 26 and July 1 revealed that over 3,822 hectares of land-estimated to be worth $6.45 billion-had been allocated by the minister to his two sons, Jordan (25) and Joaquin (23). Th revelations have triggered widespread
condemnation and renewed scrutiny of governance practices within the FCT.
In response, Wike has accused unnamed political adversaries of engineering the leaks to smear his image. Meanwhile, several unregistered groups have surfaced to defend the minister, dismissing the reports as politically motivated fabrications.
Despite these efforts, public pressure continues to mount, with civil society organisations and transparency advocates calling for an independent investigation into the scandal and the immediate release of any unlawfully detained whistleblower
