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News Headlines
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Written by Administrator
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The residents complained that no prior notice of the demolition was given to them.
Seven bulldozers sent by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and two tents meant to accommodate policemen in the team were already on ground last Saturday morning for the exercise, City News gathered.
At 6am Saturday, people, mostly women and under aged children, were seen sleeping on cartons and mats by the roadside.
the victims said they moved their property to the roadside when they sighted the bulldozer demolishing houses in the community last Thursday.
They also complained that they had no where to relocate.
There is no money with us to look for another house, they said.
When the bulldozers came into the community last Thursday morning, one of the policemen went about the village harassing residents. His ungentlemanly acts infuriated a female resident, who in turn slapped him, City News heard.
€œThe ladys action angered other members of the demolition squad who imme-diately started demolishing houses, Jasper Adi, a resident of the area, said.
Adi said the elders of the village met the leader of the demolition squad to seek an ample time to pack, but the request was turned down.
€œThe elders then went to see the commanding officer of Mogadisu Barracks who came to the community to appeal to the FCTA officials that the residents be given a respite to move their belon-gings before the demolition, he said.
The intervention of the army officer made them defer the demolition until today, he said.
The residents complained that neither their houses were marked nor any notices given by them by the FCTA as it is usually the tradition.
The FCTA officials only visited the village in Sept-ember and October last year to enumerate the houses with FCDAs numbers, they said.
Mama Naomi, a caterer at mammy market, told the City News she came to the old soldier village this morning and found her property outside.
€œI will return to Nasarawa state, she said.
City News gathered that a woman returning from a journey last Friday morning fainted when she met her children with their property by the roadside.
Suzzan Abul said she was at the Wuse market trading when information reached her that the ex-servicemens village was about to be levelled.
€œI rushed back to save my property, which were packed to the roadside, she lamented.
Mrs Abul, who has two under aged children staying with her at the roadside, said she had no money and where to go. €œWe slept by the roadside with our children, the she said. She said her husband is in Benue state.
At the entrance of the vil-lage, two soldiers were seen collecting a fee of N50 from vehicles that came to pack the property of residents. Each van charged between N7,000 to N8,000 to carry property from the village to Mararaba. Other farther areas attacked a fare range of between N15,000 and N20,000.
Landlords were seen rem-oving zincs and other valuable building materials from places of worships and priv-ate residents, while merc-hants who deal on such materials purchased them at very low prices.
Food vendors also made brisk business as those who slept by the roadside depe-nded on their food for brea-kfast, lunch and supper.
Emmanuel I. Dekuku said he had no alternative than to look for money and return to his hometown in Benue state.
The victims on the roadside were beaten hard by the heavy downpour of last Sat-urday afternoon till 6.30pm.
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