Residents of Katampe Extension in Abuja have been sent into panic as a group of thugs, in the company of some gun-toting policemen, raided the district.

The thugs and armed men went on a rampage, indiscriminately catching and bundling gatekeepers manning residential gates into their truck and driving off, for no offence, leaving the residences unsecured with some gates left wide open.

The residents are sounding the alarm over what they described as the unlawful and dangerous campaign by the Bwari Area Council to extort money from them under the guise of enforcing payment for radio and television licences, calling for the immediate intervention of the FCT Minister, the Inspector General, and the Judicial Service Commission to avert a total breakdown of law and order in the district.

A statement signed by the Katampe Extension Residents Association President, Mohammed Gimba, described the situation as “bizarre”, noting that supposed agents and officials of the Bwari Area Council are resorting to self-help and taking the law into their own hands.

He described a situation where law-abiding citizens performing their legitimate duties in a private residential building are summarily rounded up like common criminals and imprisoned by officials of the council, as a breach of their fundamental human rights and a flagrant disregard of law and order.

“What we have currently is a situation whereby bystanders, private security men and house helps are being randomly arrested and detained by council officials with the aid of the police, instead of the homeowners. This is impunity and an illegality taken too far,” the chairman said.

He noted that, under Nigerian law, specifically the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, a person can only be arrested or detained if there is reasonable suspicion of their involvement in a crime (Section 35 of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999, and Section 7 of ACJA). The police do not have the authority to detain someone just because they are related to, or are the employee of, a suspect.

“The law doesn’t allow for ‘substitutional’ detention. More worrisome is the fact that the contentious issue of radio and TV licence fees being demanded by the Bwari Area Council is purely a civil matter for which the district is collectively seeking legal interpretation against the background that the Abuja Municipal Area Council recently suspended the imposition of the said levy.

In any case, Katampe Extension falls within the Abuja Municipal Area Council and not Bwari Area Council. The escalating harassment, which has led to arrests and illegal detentions, is an attack on residents’ rights.”

The chairman said Katampe Extension has no visible project by the Bwari Area Council, wondering why the council is on a desperate mission to extort money from residents of the district under the guise of radio and television licences, which he described as “disturbing”, particularly because the levies are to be paid into the accounts of a private company, not that of the Bwari Area Council.

He contended, “In a community where people are simply trying to live peacefully, these actions create fear, disrupt lives, and smack of extortion rather than lawful revenue collection.”

“In view of the above, we urge the Bwari Area Council to immediately halt these aggressive actions and engage in constructive dialogue with Katampe Extension residents. Clear explanations of the legal basis for these demands, coupled with a more consultative approach, would foster trust rather than fear. Residents are willing to engage, but they will not silently endure harassment,” the statement said.

The statement also called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to call the chairman of Bwari Area Council to order, to forestall a situation that can lead to a total breakdown of law and order in Katampe Extension district, as a result of the misguided and illegal activities of Bwari Council officials. (The Guardian)

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