Police Arrest AGIS Staff as FCT Minister Wike Cracks Down on Alleged Land Leak to Sons

A staff member of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), Mairiga Hassan Shaharu, has been arrested by Nigerian police amid an ongoing investigation into leaked documents allegedly linking Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, to questionable land allocations to his sons.

Shaharu, who works in the Fresh Applications Unit of AGIS, was reportedly picked up by police detectives on Tuesday afternoon.

His arrest follows recent publications alleging that Minister Wike illegally allocated over 3,800 hectares of prime Abuja land estimated to be worth more than $6.4 billion to his sons, Jordan and Joaquin, aged 25 and 23, respectively.

Sources say Shaharu’s department processes new land applications and is considered a key node in the FCT’s land registry and allocation system.

However, his arrest has triggered alarm within AGIS and among civil society groups, who fear the minister is targeting low-level staff as scapegoats in an attempt to suppress whistleblowers.

As of Wednesday morning, Shaharu’s whereabouts remain unknown, raising concerns about his welfare and fears of possible detention without due process.

A police spokesperson confirmed the arrest but declined to provide further details, stating that updates would be shared “in due course.”

Colleagues of the arrested official have accused Minister Wike of acting in panic following public outrage over the land deal.

“He’s been erratic, drinking heavily, and lashing out at everyone, including his own family,” a senior source familiar with the situation told The Peoples Gazette.

Wike’s wife, Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike, is a sitting judge at the Federal Court of Appeal. Attempts to reach the Minister’s spokesperson for comments on the arrest were unsuccessful at press time.

The leaked documents, first published on June 26 and July 1, exposed how thousands of hectares were allocated under questionable circumstances to Wike’s sons. The reports sparked national outrage, with many Nigerians decrying corruption and abuse of office.

In response to the backlash, some groups aligned with the minister have claimed the leaks are politically motivated attempts to tarnish his reputation.

As public pressure mounts, human rights advocates and civil liberties groups are calling on the Nigerian government to ensure due process is followed in Shaharu’s case and to launch a transparent, independent investigation into the land allocation scandal.