By Daniel Tyokua
Disturbed by the increasing criminal activities at Abuja outskirts, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has pulled down over 400 illegal structures situated in Lugbe-Across on Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Fielding questions from journalists after the demolition at the weekend, FCTA Director of Security Services, Adamu Gwary said the efforts was to rid the nation’s capital of safe haven for criminals and settlers.
He vowed that the administration will not fold its hands and watch criminals overrun the city.
Gwary said the Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello is not happy with illegal structures posing security threat to the city.
He assured that with the minister’s political will the removal of illegal structures will be sustained.
“The minister of FCT is not happy with the development along the Airport road and as such he ordered the removal of all activities that will deface the vicinity and also create security threat to the nation’s capital. You can see that there are so many nuisances which come along with its own security implications. Recently the minister presented a paper on items vandalized.
“Ones there is the political will which the minister has given the go ahead we will sustain it. We have the support of the security agencies and all the departments in FCT are at work. You can see that we came out in the rain, once there is that go-ahead, there is no going back, we will sustain it.
“If we identify where there are nuisance, we will pencil it down for operation. It is not only the Airport road but the Airport road has you know is the eye of the city so, we cannot afford to joke with it”.
The Chairman, FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, Ikharo Attah, said the operation was occasioned by national security.
Attah explained that the Administration had received disturbing reports that some illegal makeshift structures were being erected along the Airport road despite several demolitions.
The Chief Security Officer to the FCT Minister, Ahmed Rashid also disclosed that the administration has also identified strategies that the scavengers, criminals and the illegal settlers are adopting and where they are hibernating: “and we are dislodging them.
“As you can see the security challenges are increasing and we cannot wait until the criminals enter the main city before we deal with them”
The demolition exercise that started at Lugbe -Across, Lugbe car wash and Lugbe zone 5 lasted for eight hours despite the heavy down pour.
