From Fred Itua, Abuja
The FCT Administration on Monday cleared hundreds of shanties used as residential and commercial settlements by scavengers, traders and others.
Those affected were illegal structures and scrap materials sitting on a right of way of a major road network around Kado Fish Market, near Lifecamp axis of Gwarinpa District of Abuja.
Also removed were illegal settlements built with sacks inside an undeveloped plot beside a pentecostal church.
The exercise was carried by FCTA officials under the umbrella of its Security Command and Control Centre with over two hundred joint security personnel and field officers drawing from Development Control Department, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and other relevant agencies.
Explaining the situation, Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, Attah Ikharo, said the action followed a complaint sent to the FCT Administration through Command and Control Centre, due to high level of proliferation of shanties, scavengers (aka Baba-Bolas) and others in the area.
Ikharo said the FCTA discovered a very worrisome development on the road, which is Cadastral C02 road corridor here in Gwarinpa, which people started building houses on it.
“We cleared all the shanties and we have marked the houses, and warned people to be aware of two areas they must not build on- road corridors and waterways.
“We have given them enough time to move, some of them we have removed before, and they returned. So we keep giving enough time over and over again, and the question is we have given you enough time, but have you given the government enough time before coming to put illegalities?
“Most of the FCDA road corridors are transitways not yet constructed, but people have already built on them.
“We have taken notice of all of them; we have gotten their numbers and we are going to be coming very heavily on them. And those who are building on waterways and green areas, we will be coming very heavily against them.
“It is very worrisome when you see a beautiful road corridor that is yet to be constructed, and people are building on it, it is very disturbing. But our appeal is to residents not to allow people to come and build kiosks and anything on the road within their neighbourhoods,” he said.