By Ladi Gbegi
Residents of Kuyami Village in Gosa-Toge, along the Airport Road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), staged a peaceful protest on Wednesday against the planned seizure and demolition of their lands by estate developers.
The protesters gathered at the village head’s palace before leading journalists on a tour of the houses marked for demolition by the encroaching developers.
Carrying placards with messages like “Our Population Is More Than 8,000. You Can’t Displace Us,” “This Is Our Ancestral Home. We Have Right To Be Here,” and “We Have Nowhere Else To Go,” the villagers expressed their determination to defend their community.
The estate developers, led by Chief Shepherd Hameed Dantsoho, have marked numerous buildings in Kuyami for demolition to make way for a new estate development. This has sparked outrage among the villagers, who see this as an unjust displacement from their ancestral land.
Nuhu Auta, President of the Gbagyi/Gbari Youth Association FCT, voiced the community’s concerns: “As we speak, private developers are in this community for demolition to displace us again from our land. Then we ask: WHAT EXACTLY IS OUR OFFENSE? The problem is that, after chasing us away, they will still build houses there for other people to occupy, as if we, the indigenous people of the FCT, are lesser human beings.”
Auta called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, to intervene urgently. “We Gbagyi/Gbari Youth Association are saying ‘Enough is Enough.’ We are not going to take it lightly with the way they are pushing us. This is our fatherland. We don’t have any other land to go to. If this act does not stop, we will be forced to take necessary action to defend our land.”
The Gbagyi/Gbari Youth emphasized that their demands are essential for the liberation, development, and peaceful co-existence of FCT indigenes and other Nigerians. “For the sake of justice and equity, we plead that our demand be urgently considered and granted,” Comrade Dodondawa Auta stated.
Saratu Kuyami, Youth leader Istifanus Isaac Tiye also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to save their ancestral lands from land grabbers.
Meanwhile, a community woman leader, , tearfully lamented the threat to their future generations. “We have no jobs with the government, no industries, only this land given to us by our ancestors. Government, please come to our aid,” she implored.
The Kuyami Village protests highlight the urgent need for government intervention to protect the rights and lands of indigenous communities in the FCT.
