By Sarah NEGEDU
A legal battle is brewing between original inhabitants of the Federal Capital Territory and the National Assembly, following controversial remarks by Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, describing indigenous communities around the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as “illegal.”
The Abuja Original Inhabitants Youths Empowerment Organisation, AOIYEO, has served a pre-litigation notice to the National Assembly, demanding a public apology within 30 days or risk facing a lawsuit over what it called “derogatory and inflammatory” statements against native FCT communities.
The group insists that the comments not only misrepresent the historical presence of the indigenous people but also expose them to violence, cultural erosion, and systemic discrimination.
Trouble started in May 2025 during a Senate plenary when Senator Nwebonyi, representing Ebonyi North, lamented the visibility of local settlements around the airport, saying they tarnished the image of Nigeria.
His views were subsequently endorsed by Senate President Akpabio, who reportedly said the structures were “illegal” since compensation had been paid to the original inhabitants.
But AOIYEO, through its legal counsel J.E. Ndeye, dismissed the claims as false and offensive, arguing that many residents had never been compensated and that the label “illegal” was a constitutional affront to their identity and citizenship.
Founder of the organisation, David Isaac, said “Senator Nwebonyi’s remarks, and the Senate President’s subsequent endorsement, are not only deeply offensive but also legally questionable.”
Isaac, who stated this in a press release, maintained that “The assertion that these communities are ‘illegal’ because compensation has been paid is a blatant disregard for their historical presence and the complexities of land ownership in the area. Many residents have never received any compensation, and those who have claim it was grossly inadequate. ”
In the legal notice dated June 5, AOIYEO’s lawyers reminded the National Assembly of the constitutional rights of the indigenes under Sections 25, 42, 43, and 44 of the 1999 Constitution, warning that no public official has the authority to question the legitimacy of their existence.
“That the indigenes of the FCT are therefore bonafide citizens of Nigeria who are not in any iota inferior to other citizens of the country by virtue of section 42 of the 1999 Constitution”
They said, “It is disheartening that such inflammatory comments are coming from distinguished officials of reputable institution of Government of the Federation who are by the Constitution House of Assembly of the FCT that supposed to promote the welfare and wellbeing of the indigenes of the FCT Abuja in their pre-existing indigenous communities having made such enormous sacrifice of their ancestral land to the country.”
The group is demanding a formal apology from the Senate and its leadership, along with a public retraction of the statements made. Failure to comply within 30 days, the notice states, will result in legal action to “claim for our clients their rights of existence as citizens of Nigeria.”
