Occupants of the recently demolished Ruga settlement, a slum located by the Abuja City Gate, appeared to have drawn a battle line with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), warning that they will not relocate from the nation’s capital any time soon.
The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, yesterday visited the area and said no amount of blackmail would stop the clearing exercise.
The minister, however, invited representatives of the victims for dialogue.
This is even as a lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, led a Wike must-go protest against the exercise, saying the victims have the right to live in the nation’s capital.
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The victims, whom the FCT Administration labelled illegal occupants, also advised the authority to either resettle them or continue to waste money on demolishing their property.
Though the settlement is called Ruga settlement, it has nothing to do with Fulani as it is mostly occupied by people with divergent languages and religions.
The settlement is said to have been in existence for the past 20 years and has witnessed not less than 21 demolition exercises.
Victims seek resettlement
Many of the victims of the exercise were said to have been forced out of their homes in northern states such as Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe due to insecurity, leaving them in a precarious situation.
They were seen salvaging their belongings after the FCT demolition squad stormed the area last Tuesday but insisted that they would not leave the nation’s capital, requesting the administration to provide an alternative by resettling them.
Secretary of the community, Ibrahim Yusuf, who spoke on their behalf, decried the frequent demolition of houses in the community. He said the existence of their community and similar ones in the FCT was due to the high cost of accommodation in Abuja.
Yusuf, who said residents of the community also contributed to the socio-economic growth of the FCT, asked the administration to consider relocating or developing low-cost houses for them.
He added that while residents of the community were ready to vacate the area, they are not willing to leave the FCT.
“Most of these houses in Abuja are built by our people as labourers and different kinds of services, as lots of us do so many things, but nobody wants to even know. What they tell us all the time is you people are living in an illegal area, so leave the place.
“We have been in this community for more than 20 years, and they have come for demolition here more than 20 times, and we are still here. We are appealing to the government that we want a resettlement. Whatever condition they can give us, to resettle us, I think we are ready to accept those conditions. This is just our appeal.
“We can be ready to vacate the place, but we are not ready to leave Abuja. Because we would always want to find a place to put our heads, it means demolition will continue. So, it is important for us to come to terms with the government, so that we will have an understanding. So, nobody is fighting anyone,” he said.
Residents stage Wike must-go protest
Residents of the settlement on Friday took to the streets, demanding that the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, be held accountable for the destruction of their community.
The protesters, led by lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju, accused Wike’s task force, known as “Operation Sweep,” of heavy-handed tactics that have left scores of residents homeless.
Adeyanju condemned the demolition, highlighting that homes were burnt and property worth millions was destroyed.
“There is no justification for this demolition. We appeal to President Bola Tinubu to consider the plight of the displaced residents, who are barely surviving,” Adeyanju said.
He said several of those affected had already been forced out of their homes in northern states such as Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe due to insecurity, leaving them in a precarious situation.
“These demolitions are excessive and Mr. President needs to act to prevent further harassment of the people.
“We are sounding a warning to those in government that peace is only achievable if the poor are allowed to live peacefully. When the poor cannot sleep, it affects everyone,” he added.
Vincent Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, joined the protests and criticised the government for ignoring the needs of the less fortunate.
He said, “The repercussions of this will have a heavy toll on Abuja. These people have been rendered homeless amid the ongoing hardship in the country. They are evicting these people without compensating them. It is sad that the elite think the poor are not part of society.”
The protesters urged President Tinubu to halt further demolition and prevent land reallocation that would favour the wealthy.
Why we’re demolishing the settlement –FCTA
The FCT Director of Security Services, Adamu Gwary, said the exercise was based on ministerial directive to rid the city of every form of nuisance and criminality.
The Director, who was represented by the Secretary, FCT Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Olumuji, also charged the original owners of the settlement to begin developing their plots to discourage shanties from creeping back.
He said, “Because of the concern, FCT Administration established a special task team called ‘Operation Sweep’ headed by the Commissioner of Police, FCT, Olatunji Disu. We have been working from day one, and this is the 9th day.
“Ruga village is where we have a lot of shanties and other illegal structures on peoples’ plots of land, and it has been established overtime that these structures harbour criminal elements and all unauthorised persons, who go into activities that are abominable to the law of the land.
“The site is also close to the rail corridors, and we must always make such places safer for those using the metro line. This is why we removed the illegal structures. You know we have had incidents of vandalism of the rail tracks.
“Coming here to remove this unplanned settlement and shanties would improve security of the rail corridor. The operation is a holistic one that covers different activities in the city.”
On ensuring that those displaced don’t return to reoccupy the area, he said, “The FCT minister has categorically said that all those who own plots of land in the city should develop it or face revocation.
“Most of them here have complained overtime that they have not been able to have access to their plots of land because of these shanties and criminal elements there.
“They have tried to take over their plots of land in time past, and they have come under attack, but today the FCTA had come with the Task Team to help them clear the place. So let the owners of the plots of land move there to immediately take over and start development.”
Wike invites victims for dialogue
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, during his visit to the demolished Abuja Ruga settlement yesterday, told the victims that he was there to see things for himself
The minister, who was accompanied by top security chiefs in the territory, said there was no going back in the exercise, adding that the settlement had been identified as a security prone.
He said no government would allow such illegal settlement to continue to exist with report of security threat, especially to the rail corridor.
He said no amount of blackmail or protest would stop the clearing exercise.
He, however, asked the spokesperson of the victims to bring five of their representatives to the FCTA Secretariat for dialogue on what would be done for them.
Earlier, the spokesperson of the victims, Abba Garu, had told the minister that they had been living in the area for the past 35 years.
He said about 10,000 people were affected by the exercise with all their property and business destroyed
He pleaded with the minister to provide alternative for them, adding that they are ready to move to another place.
Our correspondent, who was part of the minister’s entourage, reports that most of the victims were cooking their dinner in the open with their children sleeping under trees around 7 pm on Sunday.
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