People who live in the Guzape District in the Federal Capital Territory want the government to tell the construction company, Gilmor Engineering Limited, to stop using explosives to break rocks near their homes.
The residents and property owners say the explosives used by the construction company are dangerous to their lives and properties.
At the company's construction site in Abuja, the residents, led by former Kogi State Deputy Governor Simon Achuha, spoke to journalists on Thursday, asking for the government's help.
They said that for the past three months, rocks have been blasted very close to their homes, which goes against the rules for using explosives for construction or mining.
They want government agencies to stop the dangerous blasting that is harming their lives and properties.
Whenever there's blasting, houses nearby shake, causing damage to the properties and putting the lives of residents at risk, according to Achuha.
The residents reported the issue to the police, who warned the construction company to follow the rules for using explosives, but the company has not listened.
Some residents filed a lawsuit to stop the company from causing more damage, but there have been delays and legal issues have slowed down the case.
The court case has been postponed multiple times and is now scheduled for April 16, 2024.
Achuba mentioned that instead of stopping work, the company used even more powerful explosives to blast rocks.
The residents know that the blasting is for building roads in the Guzape district, but they believe the road should have been built many years ago, before houses were constructed there.
The planned construction will not have significant benefits for the area as there are alternative roads available.
Achuba added that while they want development in the Guzape district, it should not come at the cost of people's lives, as stated in the Constitution.
He claimed that the big construction company is violating the basic human right to life stated in section 33 by saying "our lives and our families' lives are in danger."
Achuba also claimed that the actions of Gilmor Engineering Limited go against the rules in section 20 of the National Environmental (Quarrying and Blasting Operations) Regulation 2013, which was created under the National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency (Establishment Act) 2007.
Attempts to make the construction company talk were unsuccessful as none of the engineers on site agreed to speak with the media.