ABUJA: Stop Further Demolition On ‘Ancestral Lands’ Of Residents, Amnesty Int’l Tells FCTA

Amnesty International Nigeria and residents of Dubaidna Durumi 3 village have called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to halt an ongoing demolition exercise in the community.

The FCTA, on August 17, commenced the demolition exercise which left many residents homeless in order to allow some real estate developers to take over the “ancestral lands” of the people.

Some of the residents who spoke to our correspondent alleged that some of them were tear-gassed and assaulted by soldiers and police officers who accompanied the FCTA task force.

Amnesty International, during a press briefing held on Thursday at the palace of the community’s head, stated that there has been ceaseless intimidation of the residents by the real estate developers.

“There has been ceaseless intimidation of the community by real-estate developers who claim that the long-standing indigenous village of Durumi 3 has been allocated to them. The pressure to vacate their ancestral land which has existed for about a century even before the establishment of the Federal Capital Territory persists.

“This is despite the lack of genuine Consultations by government and real-estate developers with the indigenous inhabitants of their community.

“No resettlement plans nor compensation have been put in place. In May 2022, the FCTA Department of Development Control accompanied by heavily armed policemen, soldiers, and other security agents, marked several buildings in the community for demolition without adequate notice.

“Community members were subjected to harassment and assault by security agents. Two community members were shot. Community members continue to live in fear, as the FCTA Department of Development Control has threatened to return to demolish all structures including hundreds of houses sheltering thousands of families,” the international NGO said at the press briefing.

Amnesty International asked the FCTA to “immediately halt plans for further demolitions” in the community and cease all forms of harassment and intimidation of the community.

While calling for adequate compensation for those whose structures have been demolished, the NGO asked the FCTA to also consider feasible alternatives to evictions in genuine consultation with those affected.

It said in the case where the community members agree to vacate their land, appropriate resettlement and adequate compensation must be provided.

Osai Ojigho, Country Director, Amnesty International, said the NGO was currently monitoring the situation on the ground and had written to the relevant authorities on the matter.

“We are monitoring the situation on the ground, and we have already started educating the community about their human right, which is one of the things we do at Amnesty International.

“They know what they are asking for but to be able to put it in the human right language so that they can ascent themselves more articulately.

“We’ve written to FCDA, requesting a meeting and we are waiting to hear back on a suitable day and time, we are aware that the community was supposed to meet with them on Monday but the meeting didn’t take place, we are hoping that when they give us date and time, we’ll come with representatives of the community so they can hear from those who are impacted by the threatening eviction.

“We will also highlight some of the cases that have come out from here, people that have lost their homes, documents, those whose livelihood have been distributed.

“We will be writing through the relevant special abattoir on this issue, most important is to put pressure, and we intend to lodge a campaign will raise awareness on the issue of safe housing in Nigeria using the Durumi 3 experience to show the current impact on government impact when it does not follow the due diligence and what is expected under international law.

“We hope these issues will put this issue on the top burner for the authorities, but more importantly, to give recourse to community members and their families so they can have a long-lasting solution to this issue, it’s disheartening that several years after several administrations have assured them of security of tenure that they have that they continue to face threat from who seek to develop lands that are not theirs but for private developments.

“We hope that the authorities will live up to the spirit of the constitution and recognize that every person regardless of where they are, or where they come from and status is given their right and those rights are protected.”