Nigeria: Displacement of FCT Indigenous People Violates 1999 Constitution - Chriced

11 August 2025

Abuja — The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has accused the government of breaching the 1999 Constitution by displacing some indigenous inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from their ancestral lands.

It warned that the practice undermines their rights, heritage, and political representation.

The organisation's condemnation came during the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples and the 2025 Grand Cultural Rally held in Abuja over the weekend.

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CHRICED Executive Director, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, and the Coordinator of the Coalition of FCT Indigenous Association, Comrade Shittu Shidawa, used the platform to highlight what they described as systemic marginalisation of the FCT's original inhabitants.

Zikirullahi lamented that communities which founded Abuja have been pushed to the city's fringes, suffering landlessness after their ancestral lands were seized without consultation, compensation, or restitution.

He said sacred sites, graves, and historical landmarks had been replaced by government buildings, luxury estates, and commercial centres, leaving their rightful custodians displaced and impoverished.

"This rally is an act of resistance. It is a reclamation of space; physical, political, and cultural. It is a demand for justice. We call on the Nigerian government, development partners, and civil society to act with urgency and integrity.

"We demand land restitution and fair compensation for displaced communities, political inclusion through affirmative representation, and economic empowerment through targeted investments, education, and job creation," Zikirullahi declared.

Shidawa described the plight of the indigenous people as a matter of identity and survival.

He recalled a 2004 incident in which indigenous youths were denied proper recognition in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) portal, restricting their career prospects.

"Today, you see Nigerians coming to push a fellow Nigerian out of his own ancestral land. This is unacceptable. Unlike other regions whose demands often centre on infrastructure and basic amenities, our demands are rooted in three core issues: the right to be fully recognised as Nigerians, legal guarantees protecting our status, and the return of our ancestral lands," he stated.

Referencing the 1999 Constitution, Shidawa stressed that it recognises the existence of the FCT's original inhabitants and argued for a legal framework ensuring they retain authority over the territory while the Federal Capital City (FCC) occupies its designated area.

CHRICED and the Coalition of FCT Indigenous Association urged the government to take swift action, warning that continued marginalisation could deepen alienation and threaten national unity.

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