In what is fast becoming one of the most disturbing cases of state-backed displacement in Nigeria’s capital territory, traders in Zuba, under the jurisdiction of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), are still waiting for compensation eighteen months after the demolition of over 700 shops at the popular fruits market in Gwagwalada Area Council.
The demolition, which took place in September 2024, has left hundreds of families economically stranded, with allegations of betrayal, abuse of power, and outright disregard for court orders now trailing the authorities involved.
Investigations reveal that prior to the demolition, the Gwagwalada Area Council entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the traders, agreeing to a compensation package valued at N500 million. However, according to multiple executive members of the traders’ association who spoke under anonymity due to fear of retaliation, the agreement was never honoured.
“We agreed compensation to the tune of N500 million, but they insisted on demolishing first before paying. We rejected that. We told them to pay first so people could relocate. Instead, they came with force,” one executive disclosed.
What followed, according to eyewitness accounts, was a coordinated operation involving heavily armed security personnel. Traders allege that officials stormed the market with police and military presence, deploying tear gas and denying shop owners access to retrieve their goods before bulldozers reduced the structures to rubble.
“They came like we were criminals. People lost everything in minutes. Till today, not one person has been compensated,” another affected trader said.
More troubling are allegations that the demolition proceeded in direct violation of a court order. Affected shop owners insist that they had approached the court, which subsequently ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending a hearing scheduled for March 2025.
Despite this directive, authorities allegedly moved ahead with the demolition, raising serious questions about institutional respect for the rule of law.
“We were in court. There was a clear order. But they ignored it and demolished everything. What message does that send?” a landlord and association member queried.
Many of the traders maintain that their ownership of the shops was legitimate, having purchased the land directly from the Gwagwalada Area Council less than four years before the demolition. They also claim to have fulfilled all financial obligations, including revenue remittances to the council.
“We bought this land from the same government that destroyed it. We had documents, receipts, everything. Now they’ve taken it back and given it to someone else,” one trader lamented.
The aftermath has been devastating. Several business owners reportedly relocated to their villages after losing their livelihoods, while others are said to have suffered severe health and financial crises. There are even unverified claims that some individuals lost their lives as a result of the shock and hardship that followed.
Further complicating the controversy is the ongoing reconstruction at the site. Findings indicate that new structures are already being erected, fueling suspicions that the demolition was part of a broader plan to transfer ownership under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
Earlier in March 2024, the Minister of State for the FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, had inaugurated the construction of a 618-shop modern market in Zuba. The project was awarded to Khuntex Engineering Company Ltd, with the Area Council providing land while the company finances construction.
Additionally, traders had previously accused a private developer, Lion Property Consult Ent Limited, of forcefully taking over sections of the market under a controversial PPP agreement.
According to the Zuba International Main Market Traders Association, over 300 shops were revoked shortly after traders paid for verification and validation exercises between 2022 and 2023, a move they described as both suspicious and exploitative.
“It is shocking that after paying for a five-year term, we suddenly received notices revoking our shops without explanation. Then we were told the market had been handed over to a developer,” said the association’s secretary.
Efforts to obtain official comments from the Federal Capital Territory Administration have so far proved unsuccessful, leaving victims with more questions than answers.
At the heart of this unfolding crisis lies a deeper concern: the apparent erosion of trust between citizens and government institutions. For the displaced traders of Zuba, the issue is no longer just about compensation—it is about justice, accountability, and the fundamental right to livelihood.
As reconstruction continues and silence persists from authorities, the question remains: was this demolition an act of urban development, or a calculated dispossession masked by policy?
For now, over 700 demolished shops stand as a symbol of broken promises, and a community left to pick up the pieces without support, without answers, and without hope.