Over 200 families from Nuwalege, a rural community along the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road in Abuja, have been left homeless following the demolition of their homes by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) at the request of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
The demolition was carried out to accommodate an extension of the Presidential Air Fleet.
The displaced residents, who have sought shelter in nearby communities, are now calling on the government for compensation.
Despite claims by officials that some form of compensation was to be paid, many residents assert that they received no prior notice or compensation before their homes were destroyed.
Some residents attempted to seek legal action, contributing funds for the cause, but the efforts have so far yielded no results.
An artisan, Wisdom James, disclosed that the residents were earlier informed the demolition would take place in another two years.
He told Punch: “I live in Zamani now, but I’m from Nuwalege. They demolished our house in January. There was no information (prior to the demolition). The place they marked for demolition is not the place they demolished. They didn’t tell us when they would be coming.
“At a time, they told us they had shifted the demolition until the next two years. But in two days, they were there with bulldozers and started work. They didn’t pay us anything.”
Another indigene of the community, Obadiah Tanko, said the natives had lived there long before the Air Force base was built next to it, pointing out that some of their ancestors were buried in the site that now belonged to the NAF.
“I’ve been living in Nuwalege for 15 years, though I am an indigene. When they (FCDA) first came, they used beacons to mark some places. That was years ago. So, we took the issue to court, because before the (Air Force) base was built, we used to farm there. But they shifted us towards the river. Some of our grandfathers were buried where the base is now.
“They did an initial demolition in 2007. When they came, they told us only part of the place would be demolished. Before we knew it, we were told it would be the whole thing, although they didn’t demolish mine because I’m an indigene. Some people who are Bassa and Gbagyi are still there. None of the victims were told they would be paid anything, and none of them has received any payment,” he added.
The Nigerian Air Force has redirected the displaced residents to the Ministry of Defence or the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for their compensation claims, stating that the Air Force does not compensate for lands allocated by the Federal Government.
