The Senate has urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to halt ongoing demolitions in the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT), except those sanctioned by the court, pending the conclusion of investigation into the exercise.
The Senate also constituted a 9- man Ad-hoc Committee headed by the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, to investigate the issue.
This followed the adoption of a motion by the senator representing the FCT, Senator Ireti Kingibe, at the plenary yesterday (Thursday, December 12).
Kingibe, in her motion, expressed concern over the magnitude of the demolitions in Abuja, arguing that the exercise is often carried out with scant regard for due process of the law, inflicting unmitigated hardship on residents in the process.
“The current demolitions in the FCT are not in line with due process of court orders to demolish. As such, a cross-section of individuals had suffered untold hardships, occasioned by massive demolition, which has led to a loss of properties worth billions of naira,” she said.
She cited the case of Messrs Paulosa Estate, noting that “from reliable information, the said plot of land was allocated to him in 1984 with requisite title documents. I am further concerned that the owner of this estate was a patriotic Nigerian who served the nation meritoriously and one of the first intakes of the Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna, with registration number 001”.
However, Senator Karimi Sunday, who represents Kogi West in his response, in his contribution noted that ” if you look at this motion, a specific land allocation was mentioned, belonging to late Colonel Paul Osang Kwanwa of Bebo,. We don’t have sufficient information about this matter. We are being asked to instruct the minister to stop the demolitions, but there is a need to thoroughly investigate the issue before giving any directive.
“We must hear from the minister first. We cannot act without understanding the full context. You can’t shave a man’s head behind his back. Let’s ensure we gather all the facts before making a decision.”
Nevertheless, the chairman, Senate committee on Judiciary, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonire Ayodele disagreed with Karimi. He stated that there was a need for fairness to all the parties involved.
“Before us is an allegation that requires certain steps to be taken, which may eventually lead to demolitions. However, I do not believe it is appropriate to allow these demolitions to proceed while we are still investigating the matter.
“My view is straightforward: we should direct the minister to halt any demolition activities immediately and initiate an investigation to ensure a level playing field. If we allow demolitions to continue and later find that the minister acted wrongly, the damage would already be done, which would not be fair.
“As Chairman of the External Committee on Judicial and Legal Matters, I align with the position that the demolitions should be paused. If we proceed with demolitions before conducting an investigation, it would lead to unnecessary complications, including potential litigation by affected property owners seeking compensation.”
Akpabio, in his ruling, stated that “The right course of action, in my opinion, is to put a hold on all demolitions while we set up a committee to investigate. This committee can then invite the minister and other stakeholders to provide explanations and ensure that proper procedures are being followed.
“We must ascertain that these demolitions are not driven by personal motives and are genuinely in the best interest of Nigerians. This approach will help us act responsibly and uphold the principles of justice and fairness,”Akpabio.
Meanwhile, the Senate President said President Tinubu will present the 2025budget on Tuesday.
