There was palpable tension in Abuja on Wednesday as security operatives fired teargas to disperse a group of protesters who had converged at the gates of the National Assembly to demand inclusion of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the recently constituted North Central Development Commission (NCDC). The protest, which began peacefully, quickly spiralled into chaos as heavily armed mobile police officers moved in to quell the demonstration.
The demonstration was led by indigenes of the FCT who expressed strong dissatisfaction over what they described as a deliberate marginalisation in the composition of the NCDC board. Their grievances stemmed from the appointment of Solomon Adodo, a native of Benue State, to a position they insist was meant for an FCT representative. The protesters accused the leadership of the Senate, particularly Senate President Godswill Akpabio, of side-lining Abuja residents in favour of Benue, a state that already boasts multiple appointees on the commission’s board.
Chanting solidarity songs and holding placards with inscriptions such as “FCT Deserves Representation Too” and “Stop Robbing Abuja Natives of Their Rights,” the protesters demanded that the federal government reverse the appointment and address the growing concerns of the indigenous people of the capital city. Some placards specifically questioned why Benue State, which already has a notable presence on the NCDC board, was being favoured again while the FCT was entirely excluded.
Eyewitnesses said the protest began in an orderly manner but took a different turn when the demonstrators began to move closer to the entrance of the National Assembly complex. Security forces, apparently acting on orders to prevent any breach of the Assembly perimeter, responded by deploying teargas canisters to disperse the crowd. The sudden release of the gas triggered panic, with protesters scattering in various directions. Shouts of “we are peaceful” and “we are not criminals” echoed as the group fled the scene, many visibly choking and covering their faces.
Several videos taken by onlookers captured the confusion and chaos that followed the use of teargas. In the footage, protesters—some of whom included women and elderly persons—could be seen coughing and scrambling for safety. A few individuals sustained minor injuries in the rush to escape the suffocating atmosphere.
Organisers of the protest condemned the police response, insisting that their action was a peaceful civic expression aimed at drawing attention to what they called an ongoing pattern of political exclusion. They vowed to continue pressing their demands through lawful means, warning that continued marginalisation of the FCT could lead to greater unrest.
As of press time, no official statement had been released by the National Assembly or the police authorities regarding the incident. However, the agitation underscores a deeper tension surrounding the implementation of the NCDC and the recurring debate over the political recognition and inclusion of the Federal Capital Territory in national development policies.
