One woman is reportedly dead following the invasion of Gbagyi Villa in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State for demolition by KASUPDA, acting on the directive of Kaduna State government under the leadership of Gov Nasir El-Rufai just less than seven days to the end of his tenure, despite that Gbagyi Villa community has judgement from a court of competent jurisdiction in their favour against Kaduna State government, KASUPDA and their agents.
When KASUPDA invaded Gbagyi Villa with fully armed uniform men, the youths both from Gbagyi Villa and environ came out in large number to resist the demolition, since there is a court judgment in favour of the community.
Then the uniform men started shooting to scare the resilient youths away. On hearing the news of the demolition and the gunshots, a woman simply identified as Sarah reported collapsed as her blood pressure was believed to have shot up, since she was said to have blood pressure (BP) issues. She was rushed to the hospital for medical attention, but unfortunately she couldn’t make it, as the report reaching Arise News247 has it that she has given up as at the time of filing this report.
However, youths that massively came out vowed to take their lives into their hands to defend the community and defend the court judgement if the authority that supposed to defend the judgement is now rising against the community in total disobedience to the judgment.
Though some houses had been demolished while the youths were resisting, but eventually the resilient youths prevailed and KASUPDA with their security men retreated with a promise to return on a surprise attack, perhaps at night.
One of the residents who simply identified himself as Haruna who spoke with Arise News247 correspondents lamented that “the same government that imposed hard time on the masses is now out to round off by causing more havoc in destroying the little roof we have over our head.”
Adding that following the court judgment in favour of Gbagyi Villa community, “El-rufai asked us to fill a form for regularization at the cost of N20,000 and majority had done that.
“Again just about ten days ago, KASUPDA brought a letter that El-rufai had ordered that all building approval obtained before the court case is null and void, asking us to go and start fresh building approval processes from beginning, with new building plan reading date not earlier than the month of May, 2023. He gave us sixty days to start the process through KASUPDA and we are ready to comply; as we have visited the KASUPDA to commence the fresh process of approval for our houses including those who had prior approval, but KASUPDA officials said the forms are not yet ready.
“It is not yet sixty days based on the notice KASUPDA gave us and we didn’t even say we are not ready to abide by the obnoxious policy just to keep peace. They are the people that are not even ready with the forms needed: yet this afternoon the same Kaduna State government through the same KASUPDA invaded Gbagyi Villa and started demolition of houses, if not that we took our lives into our hands and resisted with the support of youths from the other communites around. Though they still vowed to come back for the demolition exercises.
“See now an innocent law abiding woman, managing her BP had been sent to her untimely grave! Why? Why? Why? Must APC just be about inflicting unbearable pains on the masses?” he concluded.
When Arise News247 correspondents spoke with one of the KASUPDA officials he declined to make any comment more than that they are under authority and “acting on order from above.” In fact he refused to mention his name.
It’s of note that at the begining of the tenure of El-rufai in 2015 he invaded Gbagyi Villa and vowed to demolish the over 3,500 houses and 40 churches already built in the community. The landlord association took the matter before a court of competent jurisdiction and won the case after about Seven years in court. Also many Organizations both within and outside the country including but not limited to Amnesty International intervened on the side of the community. Even House of Representatives committee also intervened on behalf of the community. But unfortunately this is happening again at the end of the tenure of El-rufai, provoking the unprovoked peaceful people of Gbagyi Villa, few days to handing over when government supposed to sue for peace considering the tension in the country.