…Says Mpape, Dutse, Ushafa Next In Line
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) returned to Iddo Sarki today and demolished over 473 illegal structures, just a week after the dust had settled and the tears had dried following last week’s demolition activity.
While warning that those living in unlawful constructions in Mpape, Dutse Makaranta, and Ushafa will be the next targets for this enormous clean-up.
Recall that the FCTA dismantled over 137 illegal structures over the weekend, including blocks of hostels, hotels, and other structures.
An enforcement team composed of the Nigeria Navy, Nigeria Police Force, DSS, NSCDC, NDLEA, Nigeria Immigration Service, and DRTS, is
working with five bulldozers, was able to demolish 473 unlawful structures in a single day.
While fielding questions from newsmen on the reason why the administration return to Iddo for the ‘mother of all demolitions’, the Chairman, FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, Comrade  Ikharo Attah, said his team had to go back to Iddo to complete the good work it has started in the town.
According to him, abandoning the demolition process halfway, and uncompleted will only encourage reemergence of unlawful constructions and continuance of illegality which would further aggravate the violations of the Abuja Master Plan.
Attah also warned developers and FCT residents against buying land from traditional Chiefs in the nation’s capital, saying that only the FCT Minister (not even FCT Minister of State) is legally empowered to allocate any portion of the FCT’s 8,000 square kilometres of land.
His words; “Why we came back to here was because we did not finish the clean up. We thought we had fine very far, not until we noticed that the Land Use Contraventions have been very high and disturbing.
“So we had to come back here today (Wednesday) to continue the clean up. Thanks to directors of Development Control and Security who put heads together for us to get five machines to work with which made our job easier.
“Some of the illegalities of land contravention include buying land from local Chiefs, building without building plan approvals, building substandard structures and the authorities will not allow these to continue because the city is planned and when we see contravention, it is the mandate of the FCTA to take it out.”
While responding to a question on whether there was any compensation for them, Attah said: “They have been warned before and when you commit illegality…..we even ought to take them to court but we are living them. The Chiefs who gave them the land have denied that they gave them land.”
Attah also sent a strong warning to those residing in illegal structures within Mpape, Dutse Makaranta, Ushafa and others areas to either move out or comply, adding that they were next in line for similar clean up exercises.
He said: “We have to rush this work now because the people of Mpape, Dutse Makaranta and Ushafa -both the residents and landlords are begging the FCT Minister to come and clean up their area, so we will soon be going to assist them.
“We are seeing encroachments even in the Lower Usuma Dam where we get our safe water to drink. We don’t want people to go there and pollute our water.”
Similarly , the Secretary, Command and Control Centre of the FCTA, Mr. Peter Olumuji said another reason demolishing the structures was because they harboured criminals who constitute insecurity within the area and the whole of FCT.
According to him : “one of the reasons why we are here is because such places hibernate criminals because they can get cheaper houses to rent.
“We have had a sustained clean up operation on the airport road and this has led to reduction in the rate of crime and criminality in the FCT”,he added.
