By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation has siezed 26 cattle, impounded 5 vehicles in Apo over failure of the owners to adhere to the environmental rules.
A week ago, Ikharo Attah, chairman of the team had issued a 7 days ultimatum to illegal mechanics and other business owners within the area to vacate over their non compliance to sanitation guidelines.
The taskforce chairman during the exercise yesterday, said the administration’s decision to carry out the exercise because of those that were bent on constituting nuisance that could threaten the city’s security and violate environmental safety.
Attah explained that issues of sanitation within the nation’s capital is a priority that cannot be sacrificed to personal or group interests, hence the attention that is being given to it , especially in the period of a deadly pandemic ravaging the country.
He explained that the the seized animals and the vehicles will he taken to the Mobile court, and a forfeiture order shall be sought, so that the rams and cattle can be distributed to the Prison and various orphanages.
Attah further stressed that the illegal motor parks around the Apo round about and the cattle market have not just affected the aesthetic beauty of the road corridors, but have been turned to hide outs for drug peddlers and other criminal elements.
He warned all illegal occupants to vacate from the road corridors, saying that the Taskforce would sustain the tempo of the clean up exercise, until sanity was restored to that road axis, as well as fast tracking the completion of the various infrastructural projects along the road that have been hampered by the activities of these illegal occupants.
He said, ” the exercise is carried out on the orders of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, through a special committee he set up to clear up the Outern Sourthern Expressway, we have cleared several illegalities on the road stretch and corridors.
“These include the Gudu popular ram market, Scrap market, otherwise known as pantaker and the illegal motor park around the Apo roundabout.
“We took twenty six rams, 5 cattle and 4 vehicles, we are taking them to the Mobile Court and shall be seeking for a forfeiture order from the court, so that the things can be given to the Prison or the orphanage homes within the FCT, because we have warned them several times.
“The FCT Administration cannot continue to look away from all the illegality and contravention of the city’s master plan. We are also going to be ensuring that this operation is sustained. We have surveillance team that will be checking these places on a daily basis to ensure that the illegal occupants do not return”.
