By Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka
Abuja
The Igbo traditional ruler in Karmo, a community in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), HRH John Osai has appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the estate developer on whose land his subjects built houses, which were demolished by the authority, to see what they can do to compensate the victims whose structures they demolished recently.
Speaking to journalists recently in his palace, the royal father admitted that himself and others whose structures were demolished in 2006 were compensated, but was quick to reiterated the need for them to be compensated, due to hardship in the country.
Informing that he came to Abuja in 1979 and built many houses in Karmo, which were demolished by the authority, he said that, doing everything humanly possible to compensate the victims would help start all over again, adding that most of them used all their resources to build the demolished buildings. While hailing the government for its efforts to develop Abuja, the royal father however advised those in authority to be preventing such building at its beginning, instead of demolishing it at its completion.
When contacted, the Gomo the III of Karmo, Chief Umar Garni Sarkin Karmo said he knew nothing about the resale of lands that belonged to an estate developer, which attracted demolition of buildings started but on it from this May. According to him, a paper presented to him by the authority recently, those who built houses on the said land were enumerated and compensated in 2006, when he wasn’t yet made a chief of his community, Karmo. He informed when the authority came back to demolish the buildings, he wasn’t informed, even as he advised the victims to conduct serious investigation, before buying land in the FCT, and also desist from buying lands already allocated out.
Similarly, the Igbo traditional ruler in the area, HRH John Ossai, when interviewed said that he came to Abuja in 1979, had many buildings in Karmo which were demolished in 2006, although compensated.
While advising the victims, majority of which were Igbo, to stop taking the risk of buying land without proper investigation, Osai appealed to the government and the estate developers to give them something, to enable them get another place to live, as well as see something with which to start all over again.
One of the victims, Sunday Nnaji, who spoke to our correspomdent informed that the government officials and those from the estate developer came to the area, counted and market their buildings, took their names, their phone numbers and promised to compensate them and left.
When they came back after some time, he went on, they started to demolish their buildings, without notice; a development which made them to constitute a committee that had been going to the government and the estate owner to iron things out, but unfortunately, nothing came out of it and they came back to continue to demolish the buildings.
He informed that the indigenes who sold the lands to them, promised to not only protect them, but also ensure that they are compensated, during demolish. But unfortunately, he continued, the indigenes and the estate developer could neither live up to their promises, nor the government.
However, another victim who wouldn’t disclose his identity informed that the son of the estate developer contacted explained that the reason behind the demolition was that the FCT minister has ordered each land owner to develop his or have it revoked. He further added that they have got buyers, who were serious to pay and start development immediately, adding that if they don’t sell and hand over to the buyers, the land, according to him would be revoked.
It was equally gathered that the structures were being sold at about N200 thousand to N400 thousand Naira only, depending on the size of the building, to scrap dealers, who in turn would and take valuable things for sale.
Those who couldn’t sell their own or refused to sell them, had their structures smashed and their properties destroyed along. Even, we gathered that looters carted away with people’s properties, such as refrigerators, fans, television, among others, making them loose there buildings and properties at the same time.
