By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Thursday sacked the illegal Apo-Dutse pantaker market traders to reclaim the land for the owners.
This is coming after the expiration of the several notices given to the traders to vacate the area.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah, who coordinated the demolition exercise, told journalists that the pantaker market is the largest illegal scrap market in Abuja and the North Central of the country.
He said the pulling down of the market with over 4,000 shanties will be completely removed.
Attah said, “We have gotten intensive complaints of security challenges in the district here occasion by the very ever busy Apo-Dutse pantaker market and that has been very worrisome.
“The Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, FCT Police Commissioner Sunday Babaji and several others have raised concern over what is going on here. There are good people here, and there are very bad and wrong people here, because it is an illegal market infact the largest not only in Abuja but the whole of the central region.
“The FCT Minister gave the directive that we should clear the entire market so that those who are plot owners here will be able to take over their land and start development of mass housing, the market is illegal and very dangerous, the FCTA has
marked it’s words with action”.
The chairman Association of scrap dealer, Apo-Dutse panteka market, Anas Ismail, while fielding questions said most of the youths that operate in the area depend on the scrap business for survival.
He appealed to the FCT Administration to provide a place for the genuine scrap dealers to continue with their business.
Ismail explained that with the high level of insecurity in the country, the traders who are mostly youth should be given serious attention.
The coordinator Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Shuaibu Umar, who came for inspection, told journalists, that the size of the pantaker market is almost equivalent to a district on over 50 hectres of land.
