Group Condemns Demolition of Margaret Lawrence University Teaching Hospital’s Cancer Centre
By Erewunmi Peace
A civil society organisation, the Centre for Human Rights and Advocacy in Africa Network, has strongly condemned the demolition of the Cancer Centre at the Margaret Lawrence University Teaching Hospital (MLUTH) in Abuja by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The facility, located within River Park Estate, had been under construction for about a year before bulldozers reportedly moved in on Saturday, 13 September 2025, to pull it down.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the group described the demolition as “high-handed, insensitive, barbaric and unacceptable,” stressing that the action was carried out without prior notice or explanation.
The organisation said it was shocking that a world-class cancer treatment facility — which would have strengthened Nigeria’s weak healthcare system and saved lives — could be destroyed in such a manner. It also alleged that the exercise fits into a broader pattern of land grabbing disguised as urban development within Abuja.
The group called on the FCT Minister to investigate the incident and hold the task force responsible to account, warning that such actions could undermine investor confidence and derail critical health projects in the capital city.
As at press time, the FCTA and the hospital management have yet to issue official responses.
