Court bars FCDA from demolishing Mpape

An FCT High Court sitting in Apo yesterday barred the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) from going ahead with its plan to demolish Mpape, a suburb of Abuja.

Justice Abubakar Kutigi in his judgment declared that the FCDA’s plan to evict the residents of the community is illegal and unlawful.

The trial which has lasted over four years and gone through three different courts of the FCT, was finally resolved in favour of the residents who had in 2012 instituted a class action against the FCDA.

The judge said the ruling was in favour of the community due to failure of the FCDA to issue statutory notices in compliance with provisions of applicable laws and due process before embarking on actions aimed at demolishing plaintiffs’ properties at Mpape.

Meanwhile, in a statement signed by Isa Sanusi, Media Manager of Amnesty International Nigeria, the ruling has come as a relief to the residents of the urban slum.

“The Abuja High Court judgement declaring the planned demolition of Mpape community illegal comes as a massive relief to its hundreds of thousands of residents.

“The judgment which declared that Nigerian authorities have an obligation to refrain from forced evictions and make policies towards realising the right to adequate housing and security of tenure for the residents is a landmark judgment and a victory for housing rights in Nigeria.

“We urge all state governments across Nigeria to take heed of this ruling and take immediate steps to stamp out forced evictions. The ruling is a victory for the residents of Mpape who have lived with fear of forced eviction since 2012.

“Amnesty International, calls for a moratorium on mass forced evictions across Nigeria, until there are laws or regulations in place to ensure compliance with safeguards enshrined in international law,” Sanusi quoted Amnesty’s Researcher, Morayo Adebayo as saying.