By Daniel Tyokua
Eight months after, officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration on Wednesday, rolled out bulldozers in continuation of its clean-up exercise to save Mpape people from traffic gridlock and criminals.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the Minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah said after eight months ago of pulling down shanties on the ever busy road, the illegal structures have resurfaced on the road corridors, which become haven for bad eggs in the area.
He explained that the administration had received complaints of illegal activities being experienced from Crush rock area down to the old market side on the road shoulder.
Attah said the clean up will reinvigorate the city’s sanitation, fight against encroachment and curb reported cases of criminal activities.
He stated that illegal operations in Mpape area which is adjacent bustling Maitama District in Abuja must be checked.
“After eight months, we are back to Mpape because the criminals have returned to the crush rock area. We have gotten report that they are back, so we have to quickly come and clear them.
“We are doing two things here, revisiting of sanitation exercise, freeing of the road, encroachment and curbing of criminal activities especially within the crush rock area.
“The FCT Administration recently launched tourism roadmap, that means that the crush rock area is needed this will change the narrative of tourism, with this cleaning up criminals won’t disturbed people going to the tourist area.
“We have also knocked down criminals’ hideouts behind the banks’ area which is the commercial hub. This shows that we are winning in our fight against criminal elements in Mpape”