FCT Indigenes Demand Land Restitution, Political Inclusion

Indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have renewed calls for land restitution, political representation and economic empowerment, saying decades of exclusion threaten their heritage and survival.

Speaking at the Grand Cultural Rally in Abuja to mark the 2025 United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples yesterday, the executive director of Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, said indigenous communities had been “pushed to the margins” through land dispossession, political exclusion and economic neglect.

He said FCT indigenous communities had faced decades of land dispossession, political exclusion and economic deprivation.

“Ancestral lands have been seized without consultation or compensation, while rightful custodians are displaced. They are denied the right to elect a governor or legislators, and excluded from the prosperity around them,” he stated.

Zikirullahi urged the government, development partners and the civil society to commit to land restitution, affirmative political representation and targeted economic investments to address longstanding inequalities.

MacArthur Foundation Africa director, Dr. Kole Ahmed Shettima, commended CHRICED and the indigenous groups, highlighting the importance of cultural recognition alongside political and economic advocacy.

“As we prepare for the 2027 elections, issues of land restitution, political inclusion, and economic empowerment must be on the agenda,” he said.

Coordinator of the Coalition of FCT Inhabitant Groups, Engr. Shitu Chidaw, emphasised that indigenous people’s demands are fundamental, including recognition as Nigerians, inclusion in political structures, and legal acknowledgment in line with historical records of the FCT’s existence before the 1999 Constitution.

Representing the chairman, Council of Traditional Rulers, Sarki Pai, Alhaji Isa Iyankpai, called for unity in advancing the rights of indigenous peoples and urged continued advocacy for their recognition in national policy.

The rally featured cultural displays, traditional music and dance, reinforcing the heritage of the FCT’s original inhabitants while amplifying calls for equity and justice.