The Federal Capital Territory Government is yet to compensate victims of the #EndSARS violence, four months after receiving the ministerial committee appointed to set up to assess losses and damage caused by the #EndSARS protest.
Not more than 40 vehicles were destroyed, including shops and warehouses was looted by hoodlums that hijacked the protests to cause chaos and unleash violence on residents and businesses in the Apo, Idu Industrial Estate, Bwari, Kuje, and Gwagwalada areas in Abuja.
The looted victims include car dealers, traders, and business owners who stated that they had not received any government compensation, and their creditors are beginning to put pressure on them.
Abbas Idriss, head of the ministerial committee and Director-General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency, had tendered its report to Muhammad Bello, the FCT Minister, on December 4, 2020, asking the government to procure N4.8bn to affected victims.
However, when speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, the Car Dealers Association Chairman, Kabusa Junction, Apo, Mr. Abdulfatai Afolabi, said the FCTA had not reached out to the victims.
He said, “We have made our presentation to the committee, and the last time we called, they said the report is with the minister. Eighteen vehicles were burnt, while 25 others were vandalized, all valued at over N80m. We didn’t quote any specific figure despite pressure from some people who wanted us to inflate the monetary value of the destroyed vehicles.”
According to Afolabi, they had to sell 25 destroyed vehicles below market prices as the cost of the repair was too high and life was beginning to get too difficult for car dealers.
John Ositachukwu, a mechanic who lost cars undergoing repairs at his workshop, also lamented the FCT Administration’s delayed compensation, describing his workshop’s loss as a great setback.
Another victim, Mrs. Florence Nwokoro, revealed that her two shops containing a mattress, which is valued at N18m, were destroyed by protesters, stating that they were anticipating the FCT to redeem its pledge.