Estate developers, Winning Clause Nigeria, have debunked the allegations of demolishing an indigenous Kuchibedna community in Abuja illegally, noting that there is a court order backing the exercise after paying compensation three times.

Recall that there was an uproar following the demolition of the community by the agents of the Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) on Wednesday, raising the issue of human rights abuse.

The indigenous communities accused both the agents of the FCTA and the developers of invading to dispossess them of their ancestral land.

Counsel to the company, Marx Ikongbeh, stated that the developers made efforts severally to take possession after being allocated the land by FCTA, but the indigenous people resisted.

Ikongbeh noted that the original inhabitants of Plot 67, Cadastral Zone C05, Kafe District, have been compensated on three separate occasions.

He said, “Compensation was paid not once, not twice, but three times 2011, 2015 and 2016,” he revealed. “Yet, despite these payments and multiple court judgments, the occupants refused to move.

“ After the first compensation, the community took the matter to the FCT High Court, which, in a 2016 judgment, held that the natives had no further legal claim and declared them trespassers. Despite this ruling, the company continued discussions on humanitarian grounds as the settlement continued expanding largely due to natives selling parcels of land to non-natives.

Ikongbeh added that a fresh suit filed by the community after the second round of compensation was dismissed as an abuse of court process. The village chief, Mr. George Gozebo, originally the first plaintiff, had reportedly sold his own property and left, only to return later to build again on the estate land.

“Despite all these payments, they refused to leave and instead expanded, selling land illegally to non-natives who built without any approval,” he lamented.