Direct development control to stop harassing us – Abuja community urges minister

Residents of Kpaduma community in Asokoro Extension in Abuja have appealed to the Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, to direct officials of the Department of Development Control to stop harassing them pending the determination of their case in court. Spokesman of the community, Hon Bala Iyah, in a press briefing yesterday, explained that […]

Residents of Kpaduma community in Asokoro Extension in Abuja have appealed to the Minister of the FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, to direct officials of the Department of Development Control to stop harassing them pending the determination of their case in court.

Spokesman of the community, Hon Bala Iyah, in a press briefing yesterday, explained that the case challenging the decision of the FCTA to resettle them was in court, hence there was no need for Development Control to continue to harass them with their presence.

Iyah disclosed that the FCTA had allocated their community land to a developer and that they were presently in discussion with the company for possible integration which the company had agreed to leave about 61 hectares for them.

He said, “We are still in negotiation with the estates’ developer and the document is on the table of the Director of Resettlement and Compensation. They wrote the agreement. But we have a little argument about three to four hectares which we told them has to do with the graves of our ancestors and our chief’s palace.

“We believe that they will consider our reasons and everything will be settled. Last year, in December, the officials of resettlement and compensation came here for an assessment, which they reviewed, and we expressed dissatisfaction and we are still waiting to see the review they did.

Also, the Chief of Kpaduma, Yusuf Dio Gbezhi, expressed confidence that the community and Sun Rise Estate’s developers would come to an agreement and that the challenges they were facing with the FCDA would be a thing of the past.