PCC Halts Demolition In Gwarinpa Estate, Demands Due Process

The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) has intervened to stop an ongoing demolition of homes at Winning Clause Estate, Gwarinpa, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following an emergency complaint by residents.

The Commission confirmed the move in a statement on its official Facebook handle on Tuesday.

According to the statement, FCT Commissioner of the PCC, Hon. Musa Dikko, arrived at the scene and found that significant damage had already been done to properties belonging to members of the Kuchi Bedna community: an indigenous settlement in Gwarinpa that has occupied the disputed area long before the inception of the FCT.

The statement noted that residents whose houses were being demolished expressed “deep shock and despair” while laying their grievances before the officials.

They complained that “prior to the demolition, they have neither been resettled, compensated, nor was any prior demolition notice served to them before the operation began today.

“The scene was tense and emotionally charged, with distressed families watching bulldozers tear through their homes while trying to salvage whatever they could. Military officers, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence operatives, and police personnel were strategically positioned around the estate, armed and ready to suppress any resistance from the affected indigenes,” the statement added.

The PCC also disclosed that Hon. Dikko sought to engage the official supervising the demolition, but the Acting Director of the Development Control Enforcement Unit “declined to provide his full details and also refused to be captured on camera.”

When questioned about the demolition notice or any court order authorising the operation, the Acting Director “failed to present any document” but later admitted that the documents were “not at the site, claiming it was in the office.”

Insisting on due process, the PCC Commissioner resolved that the demolition be halted until proper legal authorisation could be produced.

A call to the FCTA Director of Development Control resulted in instructions that the demolition exercise be suspended “pending clarification and verification of the court order.”

The Commission said it “is expected to follow up on the incident to ensure fairness, justice, and adherence to due process.”