by Nurat Uthman
Residents of Ruga, a settlement along Airport Road, Abuja, took to the streets on Friday to protest the demolition of their homes by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Wike had previously ordered a task force, “Operation Sweep,” to demolish Ruga and other communities within the nation’s capital to clear the city of perceived nuisances and criminal activities.
Leading the demonstration, renowned lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju, along with Vincent Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMark, said the demolition was carried out with malicious intent.
Adeyanju expressed concern, stating that the task force burned many houses and destroyed property worth millions of naira.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to consider the plight of poor people who had been driven from their homes in Borno and other northern states due to insecurity in the region.
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.”
