The residents of Kabusa in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have cried out over the sudden and wanton destruction of their buildings and household belongings by men of the Department of Development Control of the FCTA.The destruction, which took place on May 5, was said to have been carried out in their usual commando-style without regard to due process and reckless disregard for rule of engagement, all in the guise of recovery of land to an allottee.
The affected residents, during a Press Conference, complained that the Department of Development Control executed their “evil and callous” destruction of property of innocent citizens “who are now treated as animals and lesser beings by their own government.”
The spokesman of the affected residents, Mr. Solomon Ajayi, said “these agents of government in collaboration with the supposed allottee sinisterly executed the wanton destruction of the area without dialoguing with the occupants.
“And without adequate notification except the marking of houses that were effected on April 12.
“Less than a month after the marking, they came back with bulldozers without any form of warning or notification to execute their evil plot.”
Ajayi further explained that the Development Control Department in order to cover-up their evil and shove aside the moral burden of their calamitous action, went to the press to claim that they had dialogue with the affected residents, as reported in the Leadership newspaper on May 6.
“The question now is where and when did the director of the Department of Development Control, Mr. Mukhtar Galadima held the meetings with the community leaders and the so-called ‘land grabbers’?
“We challenge the director to provide evidences of such dialogue and the several warnings and notices from the department that justified this act of inhumanity.
“Indeed, it is unfortunate that we have come so low in this country that agents of government can easily come up with such blatant lies before the people they are meant to protect in order to cover-up their heinous acts”, he added.
Another resident, Miss Glory Frank said she was saddened that after they have destroyed their property and rendered them homeless, the executioners of the wicked plot went to the press to exonerate themselves of any wrong doing “by claiming they gave adequate notices to us to quit.”
“Please let the Department of Development Control provide evidence of the various notices they issued. “Never at anytime did they come to us to dialogue or gave us any quit notice.”
She added “it was when our houses were marked that we met on the April 15, with the community chief, who promised to take up the matter with the relevant government agency.
“While we all arranged to meet with the chief on Saturday last week, suddenly these people (Department of Development Control) came and destroyed our houses and property, while most of us were away,” she lamented.
However, when asked if they were aware of any dialogue that was held on their behalf by the community leadership, they claimed they were unaware of such meetings, insisting that if ever such dialogue took place, they were never intimated or invited to such meeting.
“You cannot shave a man’s head in his absence,” quipped one of the resident.
The affected residents are therefore calling on the FCTA to come to their aid and alleviate their sufferings by ensuing that the allottee initiate and conclude a compensation dialogue.
They also demanded an administrative inquiry to ascertain the claim by the enforcing authority that they duly complied with laid down processes and regulations in the execution of their statutory mandate to sanction such erring officials and forestall such embarrassing action in the house’ on illegal destruction.
