The Katampe Extension Residents Association,KERA, has criticised the Bwari Area Council over alleged unlawful raids carried out in the community during efforts to enforce radio and television licence payments.
Mr Mohammed Gimba, President of KERA, said in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja that residents had been living in fear following the activities of “thugs and armed personnel” who stormed the district in recent days.
He said gatekeepers and domestic workers were forcibly arrested while carrying out their duties within private homes. They were taken away in trucks without any stated offence, leaving the premises they were guarding unsecured and exposed.
Gimba described the situation as disturbing, stating that the actions threatened the peace and safety of the neighbourhood. He stressed that the operations amounted to extortion and a violation of the fundamental rights of residents.
He noted that the 1999 Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 prohibit arrest without reasonable suspicion of a crime, and do not support detaining employees in place of homeowners.
Gimba emphasised that radio and television licence payments fall under civil matters, not criminal ones.
Also Read: FRSC unveils new digital system for licences, number plates
He added that Katampe Extension falls under the Abuja Municipal Area Council,AMAC, not Bwari Area Council, and that AMAC had already suspended the collection of such fees from residential properties.
He expressed concern that the demands were targeting residents outside Bwari’s jurisdiction, raising further questions about payments allegedly being directed into private company accounts.
The residents, he said, had not witnessed any development projects from Bwari in the district, making the aggressive revenue drive appear more like an attempt to extort citizens than lawful enforcement.
KERA urged the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Judicial Service Commission to intervene urgently to prevent further escalation.
Gimba said the residents were willing to engage constructively but would not tolerate intimidation or violations of their constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, Sunday Anierobi, the lawyer representing Bwari Area Council, told the association he was acting on court orders.
NAN
