By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria)– A community in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State, north west Nigeria on Monday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into ‘unjust treatment’ of their members whose ownership of lands is being threatened with reckless impunity by the State Government.
The community located in Millennium City, comprising Danhonu 11 and Kakura also called on the international community to hear their cry and prevail on the Government to stop the unjustified move.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna, spokesman and leader of the land owners, Abdullahi Sulaiman, said, “As we address you this moment, we have counted the loss of many lives owing to the frustration from the denial of what belongs to them.
Some of our members are in prison without any justification after several days in police detention and police brutality.
“We wish to place on record that, the land supposedly in contention is proven to be exclusively owned by individuals. We wish to categorically dispute the claim by governor El-Rufai that the lands have been fully acquired by government. This is far from the truth. It represents a distortion of the facts.
“As far as we are concerned, government cannot entirely lay claim of its ownership without due process including necessary compensation. This resort to blackmail and force, including the arrest and detention of some of our members as a brutal show of reckless force by government to intimidate and forcefully take away from us what is rightfully ours. We can’t believe a government we voted for will treat us this way and seize our land. Even the previous government compensated persons whose lands it acquired.
“We thought that the Kaduna State governor is a democrat and gentleman, and has pursued peaceful coexistence among the residents and citizens of the state. We are however forced to assume the contrary by his current disposition on our matter, in which he has resorted to the use of force instead of following due process.
“Before now, we have vigorously pursued amicable resolution of the issue in separate correspondences, dated; 7th March 2016, 15th March, 2016, 29th April, 2016, 7th October, 2016 and 20th July, 2017, none of which was replied, with only one acknowledged.”
The owners noted that while they acknowledged that government reserves the right to acquire land for any developmental purpose, they added that it holds a larger obligation likewise to adequately compensate those on whose loss such development is factored as rightful owners.
“Rather than a fair treatment, we are alarmed at the dubious intention to displace the rightful owner and appropriate same lands to cronies of government and their patronisers.
“We watch helplessly as our lands are overtaken by developers whose illegal occupation of the land is being commercialized for selling purposes. Expectedly, there should be considerations for moratorium over a period of time for which the actual owners may be appealed to vacate the land for government use following adequate compensation,” the owners regretted.
The owners observed that the method being adopted is to use state instrument and power to ostracize law abiding owners and exploit their weaknesses to deprive them of their rights, adding, “Every office holder ought to always remember that such occupation is temporary.
“Members of the National and state assemblies, civil society groups and rights groups owe it a responsibility to come to our rescue immediately. The arrest and detention of several of our members, including local community leaders is a clear sign of how far the government is willing to go in devapitating us.”
