Officials of the Tactical Air Command of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) in Makurdi, Benue State at the weekend invaded the Ugondo Mega Layout Phase Two and destroyed more than 20 houses.
Owners of the houses located on the outskirts of Makurdi said the state government legitimately allocated the structures to them.
The about 200 NAF officials, who were led by the Air Officer Commander (AOC), Air Vice Marshall R. A. Ojuawo, came in three trucks and started destroying houses already occupied and those under construction.
They also harassed and beat up the residents claiming that the said land belongs to them. This is the second time in seven months that officials of the command were carrying out such exercise.
The first was in May when they demolished many houses at Akpen village, on the outskirts of Makurdi, located at kilometre 6 on Makurdi- Gboko Road.
That demolition was greeted by protest by youths of Apen, as most of the affected homes belonged to the poor. In that exercise, over 10,000 people were rendered homeless.
In the latest destruction, at least 20 houses were torched by the NAF officials.
When reporters visited the area, landlords were holding meetings on the next line of action to take to forestall a repeat of the incident.
They told reporters that the NAF commandant ordered his men to beat up the landlords, including women most of who were later taken to the hospital for treatment.
The landlords added that the NAF officials also carted away property worth millions of naira, including working tools belonging to labourers working on the site.
According to them, the NAF officials also destroyed bags of cement including those mixed with sand for plastering, septic tanks and electrical fittings, manhandled a lecturer of the Benue State University and forcibly snatched N3,500 from a widow, one Mrs Dorcas Kambe.
The landlords, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, insisted that the land was allocated to them with papers accompanying them by the state government. They expressed surprise that NAF officials were trying to confiscate the land from them.
One of the victims, a lecturer at the state-owned university, Pila Nasera, said the commandant ordered him to lie face down and kiss the ground before he was given the beaten of his life.
Mrs Gladys Gaadi, who said her electrical fittings and other belongings were vandalised, added that she was given a week ultimatum to leave her house or would lose all her things when they come for proper demolition.