The protesters at Kaduna NUJ Secretariat

Femi Adi,Kaduna

Members of Danhono Community on Thursday stormed the Kaduna Secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists in their hundreds to stage a peaceful demonstration over their plots of land allegedly taken over by the state government without compensation.

The protesters who carried placards with inscriptions such as “ El-Rufai’ is a cheat,” enough is enough,” Osinbajo!! El-Rufai will tarnish your image” , “We demand justice and several others, accused the administration of El-Rufai’of taking over their land without due compensation as well as against humanitarian feelings and sympathy.

Addressing journalists, spokesman of the Danhono Land owners, Mr Lucky Akpojosevbe said, they came to the NUJ secretariat to let the public know about the injustice meted out to them by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s administration under which their plots of land were confiscated.

According to him, as land owners of Danhono, they will not rest on their oars until they get justice. “ Our lands were forcefully taken over and given to the private developers under what the government called public private partnership (PPP) without due process.” He alleged.

Mr. Lucky Akpojosevbe

Akpojosevbe however said the action is unjust, dictatorial, fraudulent, anti-people as well as totally against the change mantra of the Buhari-led APC government in this country.

“We all voted for APC change with the high hope of getting a change for the better, but it is unfortunate that the likes of Governor El-Rufai’ are spoiling the name of the APC change.”

Another land owner, Mansur Suleiman said, they will do everything possible to reclaim their land, since the era of government of impunity is over (according to President Muhammadu Buhari). “We will fight against government insensitivity, recklessness, and impunity and reclaim our land since we have the right under sun to fight, secure and keep our lawful property.” He stated.

Reacting to the protest, Director General Lands, Kaduna Geographic Information System, KADGIS, Alhaji Ibrahim Hussaini, said it is not true that the state government took over Danhono lands from community members without compensation.

According to him, all those who have legal title would be compensated after all assessment of land owners have been completed.

He explained that Danhono is a 12 ,000 hectares of land, which was declared a planning area in 1994 after government discovered the main Kaduna is full.

He however said traditional rulers don’t have right to sell land, stressing , “By Land use Act , nobody owns land without the governor allocating such land to him, but the Act does not give power to the governor to take over lands without compensation.

“ We have commissioned the land for development and we would pay compensation after completing assessment .” He emphasised.