Headlines
We Were Not Given Prior Notice, Victims Lament As FCDA Demolishes Abuja Houses, Churches
The Federal Capital Development Authority has demolished two residential buildings and three churches in Gyadna, a community in the Abuja Metropolitan Area Council.
The buildings were pulled down around 2pm on Tuesday by FCDA officials who were accompanied by armed policemen.
But owners of the buildings said they were not given prior notice before the buildings were destroyed.
One of them, Johnson Oyewole, whose four-bedroom bungalow was mowed down, said he was being victimised for petitioning the National Assembly over an alleged fraud perpetrated by FCDA officials in the payment of compensation to homeowners in the community.
Oyewole explained that he had just stepped out to get something when a neighbour phoned him that his house was being pulled down.
He stated, “I was not given any prior notice about the demolition. I had just stepped out when they came with their bulldozers and brought my apartment down.
“They did not allow me to salvage any of my personal effects, including clothes, documents, furniture, foodstuff, television set and other things. Everything was buried under the rubble.
“To prove that it was an act of mischief and wickedness, a building that had been marked for demolition was spared while mine was destroyed. They demolished the house because I challenged the fraud being perpetrated in the compensation scheme for landlords in Gyadna.
“The case is still being probed by the National Assembly, Public Complaints Commission, National Human Rights Commission and other agencies, but FCDA disregarded due process.”
Another victim, Mr Peter Ekeh, lamented the demolition of his seven-room bungalow, stating that he was not given advance notice.
Ekeh, who was salvaging some possessions from the rubble alongside his wife and daughter when PUNCH Metro got to the scene, admitted that he had been compensated by the FCDA.
He, however, noted that 30 per cent of the money was taken by “the youth and chief in Gyadna.”
The Pastor of Evangelism Miracle Bible Revelation Movement, Kelechi Okpara, said his church and apartment were demolished while he was inside the house.
“The officials did not give me advance notice before the demolition. My wife just had a baby about two weeks ago; now, I don’t have a place to stay,” he lamented as sympathisers and church members salvaged items from the rubble.
The Director, Development Control Department, FCDA, Kwamkur Garba, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday as calls to his phone rang out.
He had yet to respond to a text message seeking his reaction to the allegations levelled against his office.
The Punch
World-renowned boxer Anthony Joshua on Monday survived a ghastly road accident in Makun, Ogun State.
Eyewitnesses report that the incident occurred along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The vehicle carrying Joshua, a Lexus Jeep with the number plate, KRD 850 HN, reportedly collided with a stationary truck under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Joshua reportedly sustained minor injuries, while two persons were said to have died on the spot.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that any attempt to hurriedly re‑gazette Nigeria’s new tax laws could undermine parliamentary oversight and set a dangerous constitutional precedent.
Atiku’s warning follows public scrutiny over reports that the Tax Reform Acts signed by President Bola Tinubu differ from the versions passed by the National Assembly. Lawmakers, including Abdussamad Dasuki, raised concerns that the alterations could pose serious legal and constitutional risks, noting that they were not backed by any constitutional framework.
In a statement on X, Atiku said the directive to re-gazette the Acts effectively confirms “that the gazetted version of the Tinubu Tax Act does not reflect what was duly passed by the National Assembly,” calling it “a grave constitutional issue.”
He emphasized that under Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, a bill only becomes law after passage by both chambers, presidential assent, and gazetting.
“Gazetting is merely an administrative act of publication. It does not create, amend, or validate a law,” Atiku said, adding that any post-passage insertion, deletion, or modification without legislative approval constitutes forgery rather than a clerical error.
Atiku further warned that rushing a re-gazetting while legislative investigations are ongoing “undermines parliamentary oversight and sets a dangerous precedent,” stressing that the only lawful approach is “fresh legislative consideration, re-passage by both chambers, fresh presidential assent, and proper gazetting.”
The former vice president clarified that his position is not opposition to tax reform but a defence of constitutional order.
“This is a defence of the integrity of the legislative process and a rejection of any attempt to normalise constitutional breaches through procedural shortcuts,” he said.
The Federal government has denied wrongdoing, insisting the laws will take effect as scheduled on January 1, 2026, while the National Assembly has directed the issuance of Certified True Copies of the Acts to ensure clarity and accuracy.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, is set to formally join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on December 31, 2025.
The development would put to rest months of speculation about where the former Governor of Anambra State would pitch his tent in the coming elections.
Reports claim that Obi would be defecting with serving senators and other lawmakers elected on the platform of the LP, as well as remnants of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the South East region.
Specifically, Obi would be defecting alongside the Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh; that of Anambra North, Tony Nwoye; Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe; PDP chieftain Ben Obi; and members of the Obidient movement in the region.
It is not clear if the Abia State governor, Alex Otti, is part of the planned movement to the ADC.
The governor was recently approached by the PDP to join the party and re-contest his current position in 2027.
Further reports quoted Obi’s spokesperson, Valentine Obienyem, as confirming the planned defection of his boss to the ADC.
“Yes, it is true,” he reportedly said on Sunday.
Senator Umeh said the event would hold in Enugu, adding that it would involve all Obi’s supporters across the South East region.
“They will come from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo states to join those in Enugu, where this exercise will hold on 31st December,” he reportedly added.
Sources hinted that Obi, who has not hidden his intention to appear on the ballot in 2027, would contest the presidential ticket of the ADC.
On his part, Chief Chekwas Okorie, reportedly said that the expected formal defection of Obi to the ADC is a healthy development that could reshape the thinking and permutations of the 2027 general elections.
“I imagine that he would be defecting along with most of his associates and followers. I believe that a fortified and strong ADC will add value to the opposition and assuage the general fear of a possible one-party option to Nigerians come 2027. The APC, ADC and possibly the PDP locking horns in the 2027 democratic encounter promises a vibrant and robust electioneering campaign that will provide Nigerians the required options to make informed choices in electing their preferred leaders at all levels. I imagine that the APC leadership will return to the drawing table to map out the strategy to confront the emerging challenge. Nigerians are in interesting times,” Okorie stated.
National President of Njiko Igbo Forum (NIF), Rev Okechukwu Obioha, vouched support for Obi to ensure he reaches the pinnacle of his political career. He, however, cautioned that the ADC should not compromise merit and integrity in the choice of its presidential candidate, stressing that Obi remains the “hope for the restoration of the country on the path of greatness.”
