Residents of Ruga, a settlement along the Airport Road in Abuja, staged a protest on Friday in response to the demolition of their homes by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The demonstration, led by prominent lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju, alongside social media personality Vincent Martins Otse (popularly known as VeryDarkMark), condemned the demolitions, which they described as being carried out with “malicious intent.”
Adeyanju, addressing the crowd during the protest, expressed deep concern over how the demolitions were executed.
He revealed that the task force responsible for the action had reportedly set fire to many of the homes, destroying property worth millions of naira.
The demolition, part of Wike’s ongoing urban renewal efforts in the FCT, has drawn strong criticism for the perceived heavy-handedness of the approach, particularly against vulnerable residents.
The protesters called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, urging him to consider the plight of the affected residents, many of whom were already living in difficult circumstances.
Adeyanju particularly highlighted the fact that some of those displaced by the demolitions were already refugees, having fled the insecurity in states like Borno and other parts of northern Nigeria.
He called for compassion and for the government to take into account the socio-economic challenges faced by those who had sought refuge in Abuja after being displaced by violence in their home states.
Adeyanju said: “There is no justification for this demolition. We are using this medium to appeal to the president to consider the plight of the displaced residents, who are barely surviving.
“Most of the residents here were forced out of their homes in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe due to insecurity.
“Most of them are artisans trying to make a living. These demolitions are excessive, and Mr President needs to act to prevent further harassment of the people.
“We are sounding a warning to those in government that peace is only achievable if the poor are allowed to live peacefully. When the poor cannot sleep, it affects everyone.
“Tinubu should call Wike to order and stop him from demolishing people’s homes and reallocating the land to rich people.
“There is no justification for demolishing these homes and allocating them to the rich. There is no overriding public interest here because the community is far from the main road.”
On his part, Otse stated: “This is strange. The repercussions of this will have a heavy toll on Abuja. This area that has been demolished is not near the main road. These people have been rendered homeless amid the ongoing hardship in the country.
“They are evicting these people without compensating them. It is sad that the elite think the poor are not part of society.”
