By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) has inaugurated a high-powered interagency task team to sustain it City wide sanitation that comprises demolition of illegal structures, impounding and crushing of errant Commercial Motorcycles and other criminalities.
Those that formed part of the team were senior management staff drawn from different critical Secretariats, Departments and Agencies ( SDGs) to build more synergies with the Office of Senior Special Assistant to Minister of FCT on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah to ensure holistic operations that will standards.
The Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr Shehu Hadi who is also the leader of the new team, told Journalists that, the Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello was worried that illegalities have continued to thrive at different parts of the territory.
Hadi noted that to underscore the importance of the ongoing exercise, meant to return sanity to Abuja, the Minister has deemed it fit to incorporate more people into the team.
He also said’ “the Task Team resolve to continue with this exercise to ensure that crime and criminality that is induced by the proliferation of illegal structures, shanties and illegal operation of Commercial Motorcycles is controlled and brought to the barest minimal.
“The FCT Administration through the relevant SDAs (FEMA) to emplace appropriate mechanism to ensure profiling of all IDPs with the view to take further actions.
“Similarly, owners of plots of land within the cleared areas should be identified and notified to take possession of their plots of Land to forestall any possibility of come back by such miscreants”.
On human rights abuse, Senior Special Assistant to the minister of FCT on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah debunked the reports making rounds that the taskforce have been abusing human rights during its operations.
He explained that the operations of the taskforce have always been guided by internationally accepted standards, where even glaring suspects of crimes where deemed innocent, until a court of law decides otherwise.
Attah said, occupiers of illegal lands, whose structures are been demolished, have always been given notices, while the administration also warn residents of the dangers in buying land from the locals.
He further explained that for the Commercial motorcyclists, they have been severally warned desist from operating in all the places were their activities are restricted.
