Demolition: Abuja Community Seeks Resettlement, Probe

A coalition of indigenous leaders of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have appealed to the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, to immediately commence a comprehensive resettlement scheme for the displaced people of Kuchibedna community, who were rendered homeless after a controversial demolition of their ancestral homes last week.

The appeal was made on Monday during a press briefing held amidst the rubble of the demolished community.

The leaders described the action as a crime to humanity, adding that the inhabitants now live as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their own homeland.

One of the community leaders, Hon. Tanko Yamaho Ishaku, who spoke on behalf of the natives, detailed their demands.

He called on the minister to immediately direct the FCT Emergency Management Agency to provide temporary shelter, food and other relief materials to the community.

Furthermore, the natives urged the minister to visit the site and see how citizens are now IDPs in their homeland.

They demanded that a committee should immediately be set up to investigate the entire processes that culminated in demolition.

Ishaku alleged that the catastrophic event was carried out on Tuesday, November 18, and Thursday, November 20, by officials of the Development Control Department, named as Ndubuisi, Chinedu, and Sodangi, who led detachments of armed security men comprising the Nigeria Police, military (soldiers), Civil Defence corps, immigration.

He claimed the demolition was to pave the way for a property developer, which has been terrorising the community since 2011, with a claim of enforcing court judgment still pending in the supreme Court.

“We are now refugees in our own land. As you can see, the entire population of this community has been rendered homeless, men, women and children are sleeping in the open air.

“As we set fire in the open and smoke rising to the sky, our tears and pains are rising to our Ancestors and the creator of Heaven and earth,” he said.

To prevent a further uncontrollable breach of peace, the coalition demanded the revocation of all land allocations on existing indigenous communities.

“That to avoid incessant violation of fundamental human rights and inhuman treatment of the original inhabitants of FCT, all allocations on the existing communities should be revoked forthwith until the needful is done to forestall possible break down of law and order,” he said.

Another leader, Lazarus Nyaholo, provided historical context, emphasising that Kuchibedna predates the Nigerian capital.

“The community has been existing for over five centuries. When we talk about FCT and this community here, Kuchibena, Kuchibena is as old as the people. Before its relocation to Abuja, Kuchibena community have been here,” he stated.

He directly challenged the legality of the process, noting that no compensation was paid, no enumeration was done, and no resettlement was initiated, thereby appealed to Wike’s famed reputation for enforcing the law.

“He has always talked about law, law, law. We want him to enforce legality in Kuchibena community. Recently, we are all aware of when the Minister of the FCT was in an estate owned by a former Chief Naval Staff.

“So he has the powers to go and face even the military. So we want him to deploy that energy, in ensuring that indigenous communities are protected,” he said.

He, however, suggested that the minister might not be directly to blame, noting, “We smell a rat that this was an illegal act that has no official approval.”

The community has challenged the alleged estate developers to provide evidence of any compensation payment, insisting that none was ever received for their ancestral homes, which they say was founded by their forebears in a “forest full of rivers centuries before the creation of the FCT.”