Abuja indigenes decry no restitution for land taken by military 

Human rights and civic education, activist, Dr. Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, has highlighted the plight of the indigenous people of Abuja.

He issued a warning regarding the imminent threat of extinction facing indigenous people and their languages such as Gbagyi, Bassa, Gwandara, Koro, Ganagana, and others.

He noted that despite Supreme Court ruling there has been no restitution for lands taken from the indigenous people under Military Decree No. 6 of 1976. 

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Zikirullahi drew global attention to the deteriorating human rights conditions affecting the Indigenous Peoples of Abuja, also referred to as the Original Inhabitants, OIs.

He noted said that more than two million Indigenous individuals in Abuja were subjected to systematic exclusion, land dispossession, political disenfranchisement, and cultural erasure.

The activist stated that since 2025, the situation for Abuja indigenes had worsened considerably.

He emphasized that the experiences of the Indigenous Peoples of Abuja highlight a continuous structural conflict, stemming from forced displacement, land appropriation, and political marginalization.

He pointed out that in the past year, numerous Indigenous communities have faced state-led demolitions of their homes, farms, and cultural sites, stating, “These actions have: rendered families homeless, destroyed ancestral compounds, disrupted traditional livelihoods, intensified fear, instability, and psychological trauma.”

“These demolitions create conditions of conflict, even in the absence of armed confrontation. They reflect global trends where Indigenous Peoples encounter violence through administrative, legal, and urban development mechanisms rather than direct military aggression.

“A true post-conflict phase has yet to emerge due to the following reasons: There has been no restitution for lands taken under Military Decree No. 6 of 1976. Furthermore, there is a lack of compensation or resettlement, despite Supreme Court rulings that affirm their rights.

“Political representation is absent. OIs are still unable to elect a governor or state legislature. Successive administrations have consistently failed to offer compensation, resettlement, or legal acknowledgment.

“The Original Inhabitants of Abuja are enduring a silent conflict characterized by demolitions, displacement, erasure, and the denial of their rights. Their circumstances are not improving; rather, they are deteriorating.

“The Indigenous languages of Abuja, including Gbagyi, Bassa, Gwandara, Koro, Ganagana, and others, face a significant threat of extinction due to displacement, urban assimilation, the loss of cultural spaces, and inadequate government support.

“The demolitions that have occurred over the past year have not only obliterated homes but have also devastated linguistic ecosystems—the environments where language is lived, passed down, and embodied.

“Development should never be used as a weapon against Indigenous Peoples. Artificial Intelligence must not become a new avenue for dispossession. Language must not be allowed to perish simply because a community has been displaced from their land,” he stated.