The residents of the FCT’s Kpaduma Community have filed a lawsuit against the FCT Administration (FCTA) over the destruction of their homes and are seeking N10 billion in damages.
After court proceedings yesterday at the FCT High Court in Life Camp, Abuja, the natives’ attorney, Sylvester Ogbelu, told journalists that they were in court to challenge the demolition of their homes in defiance of court orders prohibiting the FCTA or any developer from taking any action against the community.
He said, “We are also challenging the FCTA for the torture, harassment, victimisation, oppression and the kind of hardship the people were put into in the course of the demolition. We have come to tell the court that the FCTA was wrong in demolishing their houses when there is a pending court order stopping them from demolishing.
“We are presently calling on the court to restrain the FCTA from further action and we are asking for N10bn compensation.”
Secretary of Kpaduma community, Simon Baba-Yerimah, expressed confidence in the judiciary, describing it as the last resort of the common man.
Also speaking, the spokesperson of Kpaduma, Hon Bala Iyah, lamented that the FCTA did not consider the plight of natives in carrying out the exercise.
