Residents of Ruga, a settlement along Airport Road, Abuja, took to the streets on Friday to protest the demolition of their homes by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Wike had previously ordered a task force, “Operation Sweep,”
to demolish Ruga and other communities within the nation’s capital to clear the
city of perceived nuisances and criminal activities.
Leading the demonstration, renowned lawyer and activist Deji
Adeyanju, along with Vincent Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMark,
said the demolition was carried out with malicious intent.
Adeyanju expressed concern, stating that the task force
burned many houses and destroyed property worth millions of naira.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to consider the plight of
poor people who had been driven from their homes in Borno and other northern
states due to insecurity in the region.
Adeyanju said: “There is no justification for this demolition.
We are using this medium to appeal to the president to consider the plight of
the displaced residents, who are barely surviving.
“Most of the residents here were forced out of their homes
in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe due to insecurity.
“Most of them are artisans trying to make a living. These
demolitions are excessive, and Mr President needs to act to prevent further
harassment of the people.
“We are sounding a warning to those in government that peace
is only achievable if the poor are allowed to live peacefully. When the poor
cannot sleep, it affects everyone.
“Tinubu should call Wike to order and stop him from
demolishing people’s homes and reallocating the land to rich people.
“There is no justification for demolishing these homes and
allocating them to the rich. There is no overriding public interest here
because the community is far from the main road.”
On his part, Otse stated: “This is strange. The
repercussions of this will have a heavy toll on Abuja. This area that has been
demolished is not near the main road. These people have been rendered homeless
amid the ongoing hardship in the country.
“They are evicting these people without compensating them.
It is sad that the elite think the poor are not part of society.”
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