Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Natives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have warned against continued allocation of their ancestral lands by FCT administration to private property developers.
They said that such development, if not stopped, could posed a big threat to the continued existence of the Gbagyi ethnic group and might possibly lead to its extinction from the face of the earth.
Chairman of Garki Kingdom Elite Forum, Mr. John Bawa, at a press conference, in Abuja, on Wednesday, accused the FCT administration of plot to dispossess the natives of their ancestral lands and subject them to “squatters” in their ancestral land.
Bawa’s words, “We won’t continue to fold our arms and watch our heritage being destroyed, and our ancestral homes, farmlands being allocated to private property developers by FCT administration without adequate compensation.
“Years of such practice had caused us huge loses. It had exposed us to varieties of menace and hazards. We received inhuman, indiscriminate and inconsiderate treatment and
invasion of our lands resulting in the alteration of biosphere that caused outbreak of epidemics, rendered us homeless and deprived us of our source of livelihood.
“In as much we are committed to the unity of Nigeria, we must stress henceforth, that constant invasion and violation of our natural inclination towards peace is being stretched to the point that we might be left with the only option of revolts against the system.”
Meanwhile, spokesman of the original inhabitants association, Comrade Yusuf Yunusa, appealed to Federal Government to respond to the plight of the Abuja natives before they rise to defend themselves.
He said, “We have presented several requests to the FCT administration and the Federal Government on the plight of the Abuja natives but none was attended to. We have resolved not to go violent but continue to use the legitimate and peaceful means to pursue our course.”