The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Directorate of Road Traffic Services DRTS (also known as Vehicle Inspection Officers VIOs), has decried the invasion of its Auto Pond in the Gosa area of Abuja, putting the value of its losses at over 1billion.
Director of FCT DRTS, Wadata Aliyu Bodinga disclosed this on Tuesday when the ‘FCT Ministerial Committee on Assessment of Losses caused by #EndSARS Unrest’ visited the Pond.
Giving a breakdown of the losses, Bodinga said no fewer than 174 vehicles, 3, 432 motorcycles and 43 Rickshaws (tricycles) were carted away by hoodlums.
According to him, the hoodlums operated unchallenged for about three days and in the end also vandalised offices in the premises, stole the electricity transformer and looted about 40 solar panels.
At the Idu Industrial Layout, Chairman of the Abuja, Nasarawa and Niger Branch of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria MAN, Mr Odun Emasealu who commended the FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello for his prompt intervention to halt the looting, said billions of naira in investments were lost.
“About 15 to 20 factories were affected. They took away windows, doors and other things including toilet seats and bathtubs, all running into billions. They have rendered these factories totally incapacitated and in fact, the owners need to reinvest to get some of them back up again. We just hope that these people will no be demoralised, that they will have the faith to come up again,” said Emasealu.
In Kuje, the Council’s Central Store which contained medical supplies and other non-medical assets was also looted.
The Council’s ICT Centre and Library was raided with 20 desktop computers, eight standing fans and eight Air Conditioning systems and 13 inverter battries stolen. The hoodlums also invaded the offices of the FCT Fire Service and the Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC within the library premises where they carted away office equipment and stationeries.
An attempt to invade the Kuje Area Council Secretariat was however stoutly resisted by soldiers but that was after the hoodlums had pulled down the rear perimeter fence of the Secretariat.
The Women Centre in Jiwa was looted bare and the place now turned into a “public toilet” as the assessment team was welcome into the premises by a pungent stench of human faeces.