TOYIN ADEBAYO, ABUJA
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation has siezed 26 rams, 5 cattle from the popular Apo Cattle market, and also impounded 5 vehicles parked illegally by car dealers.
Chairman of the Taskforce, Comrade Ikharo Attah, said the operation as authorized by the FCT Minister , Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, is coming against the backdrop of the expiration of a 7-day ultimatum earlier given to enable the illegal occupants to vacate the places.
He stated that the Administration’s decision to carry out the exercise stems from the fact that some people were bent on constituting nuisance that could threaten the city’s security and jeopardize environmental safety.
He further stated that the issues of sanitation within the nation’s capital is a priority that cannot be sacrificed to personal or group interests, hence the attention that is being given to it , especially in the period of a deadly pandemic ravaging the country.
Attah, however, explained that the seized animals and the vehicles will be taken to the Mobile court, and a forfeiture order shall be sought, so that the rams and cattle can be distributed to the Prison and various orphanage homes.
He, therefore, stressed that the illegal motor park around the Apo round about and the cattle market, have not just the aesthetic beauty of the road corridors, but have been turned to hide outs for drug peddlers and other criminal elements.
He also warned all illegal occupants to vacate from the road corridors, he also vowed that the Taskforce would sustain the tempo of the clean up exercise, until sanity was restored to that road axis, as well as fast tracking the completion of the various infrastructural projects along the road that have been hampered by the activities of these illegal occupants.
According to him; ” The exercise is carried out on the orders of the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, through a special committee he set up to clear up the Outern Sourthern Expressway, we have cleared several illegalities on the road stretch and corridors.
” These include the Gudu popular Ram market, Scrap market, otherwise known as pantaker and the illegal motor park around the Apo roundabout.
He added ; ” We took twenty six rams, 5 cattle and 4 vehicles, we are taken them to the Mobile Court and shall be seeking for a forfeiture order from the court, so that the things can be given to the Prison or the orphanage homes within the FCT, because we have warned them several times.
” We cannot continue to look away from all the illegality and contravention of the city’s master plan. We have also going to be ensuring that this operation is sustained. We have surveillance team that will he checking these places on a daily basis to ensure that the illegal occupants do not return”.
