A decorated Nigerian war veteran, Air Commodore Abayomi Balogun (retd.), has cried out after officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) demolished his Abuja lounge and restaurant without prior notice, an action he described as devastating.
Balogun, once celebrated as one of the Nigerian Air Force’s finest fighter pilots, said the demolition, which took place in Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, left him in shock as properties worth millions of naira were destroyed while scavengers looted what was left.
Speaking to journalists after the incident, the retired officer said officials of the FCDA Development Control stormed the premises, marked the property, and within hours moved bulldozers in to pull it down.
“I begged them for at least one day to move out my belongings, but they refused. Before I knew it, they brought in tractors and crushed everything, including my personal documents. They claimed they were acting on the orders of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike,” Balogun recounted.
The former air force officer, who flew combat missions during the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s war heroes.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that after retirement, he set up the Green Heroes Foundation to support ex-servicemen suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other welfare challenges.
It was gathered that he later established the demolished restaurant to generate funds for feeding and supporting abandoned veterans, many of whom are still battling for their pensions.
A video of the demolition, which has since gone viral, showed scavengers carting away valuables as bulldozers flattened the facility.
The narrator of the footage condemned the action, describing it as “a harsh treatment against a retired officer who served Nigeria faithfully for 35 years.”
Reacting to the development, veteran Nollywood actor Patrick Doyle, in a Facebook post, described Balogun as one of the country’s most outstanding fighter pilots and faulted the demolition.
“His restaurant was not just a business; it was used to feed stranded veterans in Abuja. Is this how Nigeria honours her heroes?” Doyle queried.
Balogun’s ordeal has sparked outrage among sympathisers who argue that the FCDA’s action reflects the government’s poor treatment of ex-service personnel despite their sacrifices for national security.
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