NPHCDA Cooperative Alleges Land Encroachment By NAF, Seeks Intervention

The Cooperative Society of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has accused the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) of encroaching on its land in the Idu area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), despite a subsisting court injunction.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, the Cooperative’s chairman and NPHCDA deputy director, Emmanuel Odoh, said the 64.5-hectare property was allocated to the society in 2006 and regularised between 2012 and 2013. He explained that leadership crises had stalled development until 2023, when a new leadership revived activities and began compensation payments to the host community.

According to Odoh, shortly after fulfilling all statutory obligations to the FCT Administration and compensation to the community, the cooperative discovered that NAF had commenced development on a section of the land.

“Sometime in 2006, the then minister approved an allocation of about 64.5 hectares of land to the Cooperative Society. The land was regularised between 2012 and 2013. And because of the crisis within the leadership of the Cooperative, the Cooperative could not do anything on the land. In  2023, after the demise of the former cooperative chairman, we came to the land here, we met with the village heads and discussed our land here, and then they gave us the go-ahead.

We have already made all statutory payments to the FCT. We have made all statutory compensation to the community. To our surprise, immediately after the compensation, we saw that NAF had started developing our Phase 2. We took them to court and obtained an injunction stopping work on Phase 2 of the property. Yet, they went ahead. Now, they have started encroaching on Phase 1, arresting our workers, destroying fences, and threatening to demolish existing structures,” he alleged.

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Odoh added that the encroachment has persisted despite interventions from the Minister of Health and the FCT Minister, including meetings with the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Development Control.

Also, retired NPHCDA staff and cooperative member, Kyauta Mohammed, described the situation as “a slap on the senior citizens” who have waited over 15 years to take possession of their plots. “They are disrespecting the court of law and taking the law into their own hands simply because they wear uniforms,” she said.

Another cooperative member, Tony Christian, representing private subscribers, said the development was “deeply discouraging” for civil servants and young Nigerians who had invested their savings in the cooperative.

“We are civilians, yes, we don’t have guns, but that does not mean we don’t have rights. This Phase 1 is the only land most of us have in our lifetime, and we will defend it within the law,” he stated.

The cooperative has petitioned the Minister of Defence, the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Department of State Services over the matter.

The members are now directly appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and protect their property from what they describe as “land grabbing under the guise of authority.”