The protesters brandished placards and asked the government to stop the demolition of their houses.
The Gbagyi indigenes of Nyanya – Gbagyi in Karu local government area of Nasarawa State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over the demolition of their houses and seizure of their ancestral land located at Nayanya-Gwandara by the state government.
The protesters brandished placards and asked the government to stop the demolition of their houses.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Danjuma Dauda Shazhimi said officials of the Nasarawa State Urban Development Board invaded the community with a bulldozer and armed policemen, pulling down over 30 houses, which he said belonged to natives of the area.
He alleged that over 200 hectares of land, which he said belonged to the Iyakoji family of Nyanya Gbagyi, had been taken over by the state government despite a high court order restraining them from trespassing on the land.
“There was a court judgment (we have a copy) that restrained the state government from invading and trespassing on our ancestral land,” he said.
Shazhimi said despite giving out 100 hectares of land to the state government, the officials went ahead to demolish their houses.
A widow and mother of four who is a victim, Mrs. Faith Solomon, wept profusely. She said she built her house after her husband died some years ago but was shocked to receive a phone call that her house had been pulled down.
Source: Saharareporters
