Abuja residents protest against Wike’s mass demolition of houses

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) staged a protest on Friday morning against the alleged land grabbing activities by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike

The protesters, including human rights activists, condemned Wike’s administration for taking land from communities predominantly inhabited by poor people.

According to Sahara reporters, the protesters was lawyer and human rights advocate, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, who called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and stop Wike from enforcing policies that forcibly displace hundreds of residents from their homes. Adeyanju argued that the minister’s land-grabbing actions would only worsen insecurity in the FCT.

“They are alarmed by the relentless push to take this land, and we are appealing to President Tinubu to instruct the FCT Minister to return the land to the poor residents,” Adeyanju stated. “These lands belong to the poor, not to the rich. If they need land, they should go to Asokoro, Maitama Extension, or Guzape. Why target the poor and give their land to the wealthy? This will only fuel insecurity.”

VeryDarkMan, also voiced his concerns about the hardships faced by poor residents whose land has been seized under Wike’s administration. “In this tough economy, with the high cost of living, it’s cruel and unjust to evict people without providing alternative accommodation,” he said. “This will undoubtedly lead to greater insecurity.”

The protest comes amid ongoing demolitions in the Lugbe area of Abuja, where residents have accused the administration of failing to provide prior notice before the demolitions began. A video obtained by SaharaReporters showed victims of the demolitions lamenting the lack of communication from the government.

“We saw the development control officers arrive, and next, they began tearing down houses without warning,” one victim explained. “We were never informed. All we heard was that the minister wanted the land, and they were ordered to remove everything. We have a layout approved by the director of development control, but this is happening anyway. They did the same in Centenary City, and after 14 years, we’re still waiting for relocation while they can approve new layouts in just one month.”

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