Protesters block Zuba-Abuja highway, tells army to leave their land
Residents of Tungan Maje community, near Zuba, Abuja have blocked the Zuba-Kaduna highway to protest what they said was the excessive granting of land to the Army in the Nigerian capital.
The protesters carried placards and put a halt to movement of traffic on the busy highway.
Members of the community were seen with banners and placards with inscriptions such as: “Nigerian Army, how can we be tenants in our land,” “We are not illegal occupants” and “FCT Minister, tell Nigerian Army to leave our lands.”
They said they are original indigenes of Abuja and that their farmlands had been given to the army without adequate compensation.
The residents in October 2016 had gone en masse to the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Assembly and Ministers’ Quarters to protest what they termed as an “act of intimidation and flagrant disobedience of court order by the Nigerian Army.”
The community leader, Alhaji Muhammad Jibrin, said the Nigerian Army issued them quit notice on their land, despite the fact that there was a subsisting court order restraining the Army from harassing, intimidating and taking any further action on the land, pending the outcome of the case in court.
He said the area in dispute was known as Zuba II, Gwagwalada Area Council, and was allocated to individuals, companies and government institutions such as customary and area courts.
He said the same area accommodated Federal Road Safety Corps, Zuba office, Zuba Police Station and Federal College of Education, Zuba.
