The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has disowned Joseph Kpokpogiri, an ex-lover of actress Tonto Dikeh, after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) demolished his multimillion-naira mansion in Abuja on Saturday.

Officials of the FHA, alongside its managing director, Gbenga Ashafa, visited the site of the doomed building three days ago in the company of the top management team of FCTA.

The officials claimed that the plot of land originally belonged to FHA, but a proper building plan was not approved before the mansion was erected.

FHA said notices to stop work at different stages and times of the work were issued, but Mr Kpokpogiri refused to comply.

Also, the executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Shehu Hadi, who was also in the team that visited the site, said the road alignment had been done long ago, and FHA was duly notified.

Mr Hadi noted that the alignment, which the demolished building obstructed, was designed to serve as an important bye-pass to the Abuja-Keffi axis.

He added that any plan to realign the road because of the building would be complex and challenging to those that it would affect, considering that the demolished building was not in existence earlier when the plan started.

On his part, the director, FCTA Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, said the mansion, located in the highbrow district of Guzape, Abuja, was unapproved, and couldn’t be allowed to override public interest.

Mr Galadima noted that it was an obstruction to a major road network connecting the popular Apo Bridge to many parts of the city.

He also denied lack of inter-agency collaboration between FCTA and FHA, stating that all necessary communications were properly documented.

“There is adequate inter-agency cooperation, the FHA approached the FCTA for allocation, and they were given approval and were asked to make sure that whatever they did, aligned with the approval.

“We told them that no development should be allowed on the plots, and this was around 2019; we came for site visit and have given them notice.

“We even marked the building for demolition, but the owner cleaned it off,” Mr Galadima said.

Mr Kpokpogiri has, however, claimed that the decision to pull down his mansion worth over N700 million, was an act of oppression.

He alleged that his house was demolished because he refused to sell it to some “powerful” but unnamed individuals who had begged him to sell the property to them.

His relationship with Ms Dikeh hit the rocks in September last year, with the actress claiming that Mr Kpokpogiri threatened to release her nude pictures to public glare.

(NAN)