Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Tuesday brutally fired teargas canisters at members of the Coalition of Indigenous FCT Contractors who were involved in a peaceful demonstration over an alleged unpaid debt of N5.2 billion owed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Arriving early to the FCTA secretariat in Abuja, the FCT contractors blocked the main gate with a truck, chanted the name of FCT minister Nyesom Wike, and demanded immediate payment for projects they said were completed and certified.
To keep the demonstrators from entering the building, security personnel blocked off the entrance.
Many protestors were forced to leave the area when police officers used multiple rounds of tear gas to disperse the gathering following a several-minute standoff.
The coalition’s leader, Chuka Muojindu, stated following the altercation that the N5,211,503,589 debt covers a variety of public works projects, including school furniture, medical supplies, borehole drilling, drain desilting, and sewage evacuation.
He claimed that all of the contracts were properly examined, confirmed, and sent for payment, but the minister has allegedly declined to approve the money’s ultimate release.
“Every contract was inspected, verified and forwarded for payment but the minister has refused to approve the final release,” he said.
“Over five of our members have died. Some developed severe hypertension, some lost their homes and marriages.”
The FCT contractors have been protesting against Wike and the federal government for the past few months, seeking payment for the completed job.
In support of thousands of indigenous contractors and retirees who are owed billions of naira by the federal government, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) warned on Sunday to organize its members and supporters for street demonstrations.
The FCTA had not released a statement on the incident or the payment’s status at the time this report was filed.
