Sandra Chiefe
Moderator
A Gbagyi community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja was invaded by a detachment of soldiers , demolishing classrooms and over 50 houses. The soldiers, who arrived at the village around 11am on Monday, the 29th of July, with three bulldozers, started the demolition in the community primary school, where they pulled down an uncompleted block of classrooms before moving to other structures.
Some Galadimawa youths and women, who protested the demolition exercise by throwing stones at the military men, were beaten up and forced to roll on the ground. The intervention of the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Micah Jibah, stopped the demolition and attempted to diffuse the tension in the community.
The district head of Galadimawa community, Alhaji Musa Barde,said he was not given any notice before the demolition squad came, adding that his people should be resettled and compensated before their houses were pulled down.
“The government has already planned to resettle the Gbagyi indigenes in this community, but the FCTA had yet to fulfill its promise,” Jibah told the soldiers.
The demolition team later left after some arguments with the AMAC chairman and the people of the community.
Some Galadimawa youths and women, who protested the demolition exercise by throwing stones at the military men, were beaten up and forced to roll on the ground. The intervention of the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Micah Jibah, stopped the demolition and attempted to diffuse the tension in the community.
The district head of Galadimawa community, Alhaji Musa Barde,said he was not given any notice before the demolition squad came, adding that his people should be resettled and compensated before their houses were pulled down.
“The government has already planned to resettle the Gbagyi indigenes in this community, but the FCTA had yet to fulfill its promise,” Jibah told the soldiers.
The demolition team later left after some arguments with the AMAC chairman and the people of the community.
