Some natives of the FCT have appealed to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to use his power to put an end to the demolition of their rural communities without proper settlement or compensation.
The natives, who lamented the demolition of about 100 houses in Kpaduma II village in Guzape District on September 4, said that no notices were given to them before the exercise.
The Madaki of Kpaduma II, Simon Baba-Yerima, told journalists that it was sad that a government they had always supported failed to carry them along in the planned demolition of their houses.
He said, “It is on record that there is a court injunction restraining the authorities of the FCT and any allottees from entering the community for development or demolition pending the determination of the case. But we are surprised that a government that is supposed to obey the rule of law is the one violating it.
“We are appealing to Mr Wike, as a lawyer, to obey the court injunction and stop any further demolition in our communities. We are citizens of this country and original inhabitants of Abuja, so we should be accorded some dignity and respect because we are peace-loving people.’’
Baba-Yerima added that the demolition exercise had worsened their suffering during this moment when Nigeria was faced with a very serious socio-economic challenge.
Also, the District Head of Guzape, Chief Bitrus Yakubu, explained that last Tuesday at about 10am officials of FCDA came to mark some houses in his community without informing them.
He said, “They came with a battalion of well-armed joint security personnel and bulldozers to demolish our houses; almost 200 houses.
“All the occupants of the houses, who are mainly indigenes of the community, are presently homeless. When we asked them why they were demolishing the houses, they said it was an order from the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
“We told them that we wondered why the minister would send them to demolish our houses because we appreciate the work that he is doing in the FCT. We are also aware that during the construction of infrastructure in Rivers State, he never tampered with villages.”
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