The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday, in its response to Amnesty International and original inhabitants of Abuja’s call to halt demolition in the FCT, has reiterate its commitment to sustain the ongoing demolition exercise in the nation’s capital, which according to the administration is aimed at preserving the Abuja Master Plan and keep the fastest growing city out of insecurity and criminalities.

It would be recalled that it was reported how Amnesty International and some Original Inhabitants of the nation’s capital from Durumi 3 Village held a joint press conference on Thursday, last week, during which Amnesty international and the group were quoted as calling on the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA to as a matter of urgency put a halt to plans for further Demolition of structures a across the FCT.

The Joint Statement signed by Amnesty International Nigeria and Dubaidna Durumi 3 Village read, “At about 9 AM on Wednesday 17 August 2022. staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Department of Development Control, personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police and some other security agencies drove into Dubaidna Durumi 3 community with payloader vehicles and demolished about a hundred structures, including houses, markets, church and mosque.

“Personnel of the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police tear-gassed and physically assaulted residents. Some residents sustained injuries and several children were exposed to tear gas, resulting in two children fainting.

“The justification given for the demolitions by the FCTA Department of Development Control is the high level of insecurity and the assumption that some communities might be harboring criminals.

“Inflicting collective punishment on all the residents of a community by way of forced evictions is unconstitutional and against human rights laws and standards. Section 36(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) provides that every person who is charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed to be innocent until he is proven guilty. In the case where anyone is suspected to have committed a crime, due process of the law must be followed. This includes an impartial and thorough investigation, prosecution in fair trials and punishment known to law.

“Furthermore, there have been ceaseless intimidations on the community by real-estate developers who claim that the long-standing indigenous village of Durumi 3 have been allocated to them. The pressure to vacate their ancestral land that has existed for about a century even before the establishment of the Federal Capital Territory persists,” he explained.

This is despite the lack of genuine consultations by government and real-estate developers with the indigenous inhabitants of the community. No resettlement plans or 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 under fear, as the FCTA Department of Development Control have threatened to return to demolish all structures including hundreds of houses sheltering thousands of families.

“The forced eviction of 17 August 2022 has rendered some community members homeless and several without livelihoods. Forced evictions constitute gross violations of a range of internationally recognized human rights, including the right to adequate housing and the human rights of indigenous people. Forced evictions also expose people to other human rights violations, including of the nights to food, water, health, education, work, and freedom from cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

“As a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Nigerian government has an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the right to adequate housing including by refraining from and preventing forced evictions.

According to international human rights law, evictions may only be carried out as a last resort once all other feasible alternatives to eviction have been explored and appropriate procedural safeguards have been put in place.

“Such procedural safeguards include provision of adequate notice, opportunities for genuine consultations and access to legal remedies Governments must also ensure that no one is rendered homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights as a result of eviction. In cases where evictions may be justifiable, it is incumbent upon the relevant authorities to ensure that they are carried out in a manner warranted by law, and which is compatible with international human rights laws and standards.

“United Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-Based Evictions and Displacement provide that all persons have the right to resettlement, which includes the right to alternative land of better or equal quality and housing that must satisfy the criteria for adequacy,. accessibility, affordability, habitability, security of tenure, cultural adequacy, suitability of location, and access to essential services such as healthcare and education. It further provides that no resettlement shall take place until such time as a comprehensive resettlement policy consistent with the guidelines and internationally recognized human rights principles is in place,” he insisted.

But speaking on behalf of the administration, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to the Minister of FCT, Comrade Ikharo Attah hinted that, it is out of place for Amnesty International to ask FCTA to stop further demolition of illegal structures, shanties, batchers and criminal hideouts in the territory.

Attah, while briefing newsmen on the latest development, he said: ” For what I know, I think, Amnesty International is addressing a particular case that involves the removal of illegal structures at Gaduwa village in the FCT and not the entire territory like the report suggested.

“Amnesty International has not asked that we should stop demolition but be a little careful. FCTA and Amnesty International knows that the removal of the illegal structures, clearing of criminal dens and areas that have become a security threat to the city is for the good of everybody and the defence of human rights which Amnesty International represents it very strongly

“If we must work going forward, I don’t think FCTA will stop the removal of illegal structures. Those who build them understand clearly that they are illegal, contravene the master plan and understand the consequences of what they have done. FCTA will sustain the removal of all illegal structures before this administration, during this administration and after this administration. The moment you stop the removal, you have grounded the city and the city will become ungovernable.

”There is no plan of stopping and Amnesty International has not made that call, they are only addressing a particular issue or somehow, also have to get personnel for the removal of to be extremely civil defending human rights which is what we are doing and we hope to improve on what we are doing. For now, we are committed and keen to even look at the removal of all shanties.

“Look at what happened in Kubwa, the building collapsed, which was said to have been caused by alterations of the building plan that caused the death of two and left several injured. These are the things we want to avoid, when Illegalities persist and you don’t tackle it, there will be a problem. So, no going back on demolition of illegal structures and shanties in the nation’s capital.

“The Amnesty International report is a misconception of what happened in Gaduwa village, when we removed illegal structures, journalists were there, we did not touch the indigenous houses, we were guided by Madaki who was on ground. So stopping the removal of illegal structures as a city is not possible. The moment you stop Illegalities in a place, it becomes a safe haven for criminals, it shows the city has ungoverned space and will not be good for any of us. We will keep removing illegal structures, criminal illegal structures, criminal hide out and shanties to keep Abuja safe,” he stated. (Nigerian Tribune)

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