The original inhabitants of the federal Capital Territory (FCT) have warned the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to sheathe its plans of demolishing their communities.
The inhabitants said if the warning is not heeded, “any action” that follows, they should not be blamed.
The warning was contained in a communiqué red to journalists by Ezikiel Josiah, the coordinator of Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja, after a meeting at Kuchin-Goro yesterday.
The communiqué says the FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed, should change the administration’s plan of demolishing their houses along the airport road, including, Korn-majiji, Kuchingoro, Aleiyita, Chika, Piwoyi and Gosa, because “it is an act of dehumanizing the original inhabitants.”
It says: “If our houses are demolished, where do they want us to go and live? Are we not humans like other Nigerians? We will no longer condone any act of violation of human rights from anybody, as they have been subjecting our people since the relocation of the country’s capital to Abuja.”
According to the communiqué, “that we should not expand our communities, do they think that we are barren, so we don’t reproduce? We are bearing children and as we bear children so our communities will expand, except they want to say that, unlike other Nigerians, we should not reproduce.”
However, John Ayenaje, the Youth Leader of OIDA, said they were open to dialogue with the FCTA over the matter.
