Residents groan over demolition of houses, church at Abuja suburb

Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

There was palpable tension early Monday when some structures of natives and other residents including a church building at Kuchibedna Community, a suburb settlement, near Gwarinpa District of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were demolished by an FCTA enforcement team, which stormed the area with bulldozers, and accompanied by joint security agents drawn from police and other paramilitary agencies.
Most of the affected persons were angry as they were taken aback by the demolition, which they alleged occurred without any prior notice.
It was gathered the the removal exercise that started around 10:30 am of Monday morning, by noon time, many houses and other properties were left in ruins.
The Village Head of Kuchibedna, Mr. George Gojewo while lamenting the incident, noted that there was no prior notice from the FCT Administration, FCDA or any other relevant government agency.
He added that the only Native ECWA Church in the area and the house of his son, the prince of Kuchibedna were demolished without them taking any of their belongings.
Chief Gojewo however, explained that before what he described as sudden incident, the community has been having a case in court with an estate known as “Winning Clause”, that had erected a perimeter fence around the community.
Similarly, the Pastor in charge of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, Kuchibedna, Reverend Danlami Lamilo said the church and its residence were ransacked destroyed without them picking any church property.
Also narrating his ordeal, a native Mr. Samuel Nasara, who claimed to over 60 years old and was born in Kuchibedna community decried that his over thirty-five signle rooms apartment and shops were completely destroyed, leaving him and his two wives and seven children without shelter or any other source of living.
Meanwhile, when contacted for reaction via a phone call Head, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the FCT Development Control Department , Mr. Larry James confirmed that the exercise could have been carried out by the its officials, as they went on a field work on a site near Gwarinpa District early Monday morning.
He revealed that there are several approvals for enforcement against several Abuja land use infractions ranging from encroachments, illegal developments to land gabbing activities in the city.
While dismissing the allegations of enforcement without prior warning to owners of the affected structures in the area, the PRO said prelude to any removal, exercise, the department usually effects abatement notices and demolition markings on affected structures.