Residents and landowners of Jikoko community in Mpape, Bwari Area Council, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and the National Assembly to halt an alleged unlawful takeover of their land by private developers.
The protesters, who took to the streets of Abuja yesterday, carried placards reading ‘What we want is justice!’, ‘We want our land back’ and ‘Minister Wike, please help us secure our land,’ demanding an investigation into the alleged takeover and a halt to ongoing demolitions.
They said their land titles were issued by the Bwari Area Council between 1999 and 2003, predating recent Supreme Court rulings on council allocation powers, and alleged that developers moved in with heavy machinery, destroying fences, foundations and structures without notice or formal revocation.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Emma Okorie appealed to Tinubu and Wike to save affected families, estimating that between 50 and 100 hectares had been forcefully taken over.
‘This goes contrary to the government’s policy of making housing affordable to Nigerians. Our expectation was that our families would settle here, and now it is being taken away for no just cause,’ he lamented.
Okorie argued that since the allocations predated the Supreme Court judgment stripping area councils of allocation powers, the law should not apply retroactively, questioning whether Wike was aware of the takeover or if it was being driven by officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). He added that efforts to seek redress at the Bwari Area Council had failed.
Another affected landowner, Kamorudeen Olalekan, urged Wike to review the titles claimed by the developers, who alleged the land was reallocated to them under new Certificates of Occupancy. He said no revocation letter or communication was issued before the takeover.
The community is calling on the National Assembly, the FCDA, Wike and Tinubu to launch an inquiry, halt further construction and ensure the return of their lands.