Amnesty International protests the demolition of Abuja

 Amnesty International, a prominent human rights organization, has denounced the destruction of the Dubaidna Durumi 3 village just days after the community's residents were forcibly removed. In a joint statement released to the media on Thursday in Abuja, Amnesty International Nigeria and Dubaidna Durumi 3 village reported that two members of the community had been shot while others had been forced homeless and had lost their means of subsistence. The eviction, which occurred on August 17, 2022, reportedly left hundreds of people jobless and homeless after several homes and petty-trading stores were demolished. This eviction reportedly caused a mix of terror and rage among citizens living in undeveloped areas within the nation's capital city. In light of the fact that Nigeria is a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, Amnesty International Nigeria's Country Director, Osai Ojigho, stated that the organization had urged the Federal Government to refrain from enforcing these evictions and take action to prevent them. "We are making a lot of effort to make sure that everyone has a place, regardless of their position in society. Nigeria belongs to all of us, not just a few, added Ojigho.

The community described all of their struggles while claiming that they had been threatened and intimidated by real estate developers who claimed that the village of Durumi 3 had been assigned to them. Furthermore, Amnesty pointed out that this harassment had taken place despite a lack of sincere consultations and sufficient warning given to the community's indigenous residents by the government and real estate developers. According to the organization, there was no compensation or resettlement plan in place. The community leader, Ismaila Gandaba, answered that his letters to the minister of the Federal Capital Territory were ignored. "We enlisted the services of the lawyers and asked them to write a letter to him informing him of what is about to happen, but our letters were not responded to," he said. "They arrived without informing us, and the security guards immediately began marking. They generally write to the village head, but when we questioned them, they claimed the notice came from the minister. "We will leave their land for them if they can move us. Private developers, not the government, seek to use the land. 

The community women's leader, Tella Paulina, also spoke and related what happened, claiming that while they attempted to take pictures and videos to post on various social media platforms to request assistance, members of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police Force, and other security agencies snatched and destroyed their mobile phones. "Women are now without a place to live. Most of the women in Durumi 3 work in business. We don't currently have a market, a hospital, or any suitable schools for our kids to attend. We only manage with our families in the houses we are living in, she remarked. The demolitions, according to the FCTA Department of Development Control, were carried out because of a high level of insecurity and the belief that some neighborhoods might be hiding criminals.

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