Abuja Residents Shut National Assembly Entrances Over Alleged Military Killing

By Juliet Akoje, Abuja

Members of the Coalition of
Indigenous Communities of Abuja (CICA) yesterday laid siege to the gates
of National Assembly causing a major gridlock at the main entrance.

They also blocked the villa gate and gate to office of Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF).

They
carried placards with inscriptions as: It Is Seven Days Now That FCT
Native Was Killed; Nigerian Army Stop Killing FCT Natives; and Protect
Residents And Their Property, Not The Opposite.

Leader of the group, Dalhatu Musa, said they would not give up until their demands were met.

The
group had embarked on renewed protest last Thursday over alleged
killing and maiming of some indigenes by some military personnel over
Nigerian Army’s alleged forceful acquisition of their land in Giri,
Kpakuru, Ido Saraki, Zuba and Tungan Maje.

Musa said the struggle
to stop military brutality over their land started in 2016 and had
continued without positive any outcome, adding that as law-abiding
citizens they had petitioned Minister of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), Mohammed Bello and set up a committee to look into the matter.

He
said: “We were told that the military was not allocated the land they
were laying claim to. So, we had expected that they would revert to
status quo and stop harassing us.

“Unfortunately, one of our
kinsmen was killed last week and several others injured when the
military tried to forcefully eject them from the land they were farming
on.

“When this matter started, we petitioned the FCT minister and we were told they were not allocated the land.

“The
ministry reported he matter to the presidency and a Presidential
committee was set up headed by Abba Kyari to look into the matter and
they asked the army to stop whatever they were doing there.

“Still
they went there with their bulldozer to dig trenches to stop the
indigenes from accessing their villages and farms,” he said.

He
added that they would not be deceived by promises that the National
Assembly was attending to the matter, saying the Senate last week
referred the matter to its Committee on Defence “as a ploy to frustrate
the matter.”

Musa insisted that they would not relent until the
Senate President, Bukola Saraki or Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, addressed them.

Source:- Guardianng