By Omar Bah
Victims of the recent demolitions in Salagi are standing firm, refusing to be cowed by government pressure amid accusations of outright injustice and land grabbing.
The Department of Physical Planning executed demolitions targeting supposed illegal structures on state land, leaving over 17 families without homes and igniting widespread outrage.
Residents asserted that many of the demolished properties were legally acquired and built with substantial investments.
Some inherited the land from their forebears, completely unaware of its supposed state-owned status.
At a press conference held in response to the government’s April 8 address, victims like Dawda Cham and Mariama Bojang shared their heart-wrenching stories of losing homes painstakingly built over years of hard work and financial sacrifice, with no prior warning or compensation offered.
The demolitions have drawn sharp condemnation from multiple organisations. Victims are demanding justice, calling for compensation and the reinstatement of their lands. Alhaji Momodou Morrow Bojang, head of the Kenebaring Kabilo, boldly declared their community’s readiness to take a stand to defend their properties.
“We will not succumb to the government’s unjust pressure. We have witnessed how officials from the Physical Planning Department have allocated lands to Nigerians, Chinese, Indians, family members, and even their girlfriends,” Mr Bojang alleged.
He urged all those affected by the demolitions to be prepared for whatever consequences may arise.
“We also demand that the Ministry of Interior refrain from using force and intimidation against the very citizens they are supposed to protect. They should let us handle the physical planning issue ourselves. The police should not serve as protectors of the Physical Planning Department while they destroy our lives,” he declared.
Moreover, he warned that all Physical Planning directors and staff who claimed plots in the area should return them to the community.
Mariama Bojang, a victim and a single mother of seven, recounted her struggle to purchase her plot through hard-earned savings from petty trading.
“I sacrificed my children’s future to invest in this home. For five years, I committed to building this house, obtaining a building permit and all necessary clearances from Physical Planning. If this land is truly a reserved land, why did Physical Planning issue me a permit?” she challenged.
“I’ve worked my entire life to achieve this, only for the government to take it all away in an instant. I almost fainted when I learnt that my home had been demolished. I am devastated.”
