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Enioluwa Adeniyi
Guest
Residents of Ruga, a settlement along Airport Road in Abuja, staged a protest on Friday over the demolition of their homes ordered by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike.
The minister had directed a task force known as “Operation Sweep” to clear Ruga and other areas within the capital in a bid to address perceived nuisances and criminal activities.
The demonstration was led by prominent lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju alongside Vincent Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMark.
Both figures condemned the demolition, asserting that it was executed with malicious intent.
The task force’s actions reportedly included burning numerous houses, exacerbating the devastation faced by the affected residents.
Adeyanju called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and consider the plight of those displaced by the operation, particularly individuals who had previously been driven from their homes in Borno and other northern states due to insecurity.
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.”
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