Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN)

By Adebiyi Adedapo

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN),  to ensure that the minister of  Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Muhammad, complies with the order of an Abuja High Court restraining the FCT from demolishing residential houses at Iddo Sarki Pada suburb of Abuja.

The commission also vowed to investigate the processes leading to what it described as forced eviction or enforced homelessness meted on some Nigerians by the government.
Chairman of the NHRC’s Governing Council, Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, said in a statement that the commission would investigate publicly processes adopted before evicting innocent citizens from their homes.

He also said that the commission would adopt a set of guidelines against forced evictions and arbitrary demolition of human settlements in the country.
Also the commission’s   Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe, in a letter addressed to the AGF stated that the people of Iddo Sarki Pada had written a petition to the commission indicating that the Abuja Development Control (ADC) had proceeded to demolish their houses despite a subsisting court order duly served on the office.

The letter to the AGF reads: “Pursuant to section 6 of the NHRC (Amendment) Act, 2010, the complaint has been admitted for investigation.”