Abuja Natives Demand Proof Of Land Cession For FCT

The indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of the Abuja Original Inhabitants and Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO), have called on the federal government to provide evidence of the Notice of Intention that supposedly ceded approximately 8000sqkm of land to designate the FCT.

In a statement released to the press and signed by AOIYEO President, Commandant Isaac David, it was asserted that there is no record of the Notice of Intention that purportedly acquired the land encompassing 858 communities in Abuja to establish the FCT.

David said that the absence of this crucial document indicates that the land was taken without following the proper legal procedures for compulsory acquisition by the government.

“It has been discovered that the expected Notice of Intention which was claimed to have ceded the whole of the land measured 8000qkm2 was nowhere to be found, meaning that our land was just seized without recourse to the extant laws on compulsory acquisition of land by the government,” he said.

He emphasised the need for transparency and justice, urging the government to search its archives urgently to validate the existence of the Notice of Intention before the land takeover.

The AOIYEO President said that the 8000sqkm of land in question holds significant customary value, with occupants having ancestral ties to the area through generations.

He pointed out that under customary law, the occupants have rightful ownership of the land, and any acquisition without proper compensation violates the law and infringes on human rights.

“Where on earth, would that kind of flagrant and abuse of the constitution and infringement of human rights would be allowed to happen?

“So, we are asking the government as a matter of urgency to immediately start the search of their archives to prove to us that there was a Notice of Intention before our land was compulsorily taken over,” he said.

David stressed that in addition to the lack of legal basis for the land acquisition, the original inhabitants of the FCT have not received adequate compensation for their loss.

He demanded that the government either provide monetary compensation for the improvements made on the land or offer a reasonable resettlement plan to address the grievances of the affected communities.

“Besides illegal acquisition, the original Inhabitants of FCT have not been paid adequate compensation, therefore we want the federal government of Nigeria which compulsorily takes away our Lands of 8000sqkm2 designated the FCT, Abuja should either by way of monetary compensation for the unexhausted improvements, or a reasonable resettlement,” he said.