More than 15,000 illegal structures and shanties were demolished by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in the Gwarinpa area of Nigeria’s FCT.
This was disclosed by the administration’s Director of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, who spoke concerning the demolition exercise.
He explained that the illegal structures obstructed an important route, the Road N16, that linked Gwarinpa to the Federal Secretariat through Maitama, Katampe, and Jahi.
“This location that we are on is a road corridor, it’s an arterial road that is called N16, but on the other side of the city, this is the road that is named the Shehu Shagari Way. So, it starts from Federal Secretariat, through Maitama, Katampe, Jahi, and then to Gwarinpa,” Galadima said.
“As I said, these are structures that were illegally built on the road corridor. That is why we are coming to remove them because Engineering Department will start the road construction right away. That is why we have to remove the obstacles that are preventing them from the road construction.
“Well, they are being relocated somewhere else, but we have over 10,000 to 15,000 people who are staying here illegally. As we are clearing now, engineering is already on standby. The contract has been awarded.
“They are on standby, they wrote to us that they want us to clear this corridor for them, so that the road construction can commence. So they will not come back to this place again,” he explained.
According to the Secretary of the FCT Command and Control Center, Peter Olumuji, the shanties, which were demolished were notorious spots for criminals to hide, adding that the demolition would improve security in the Gwarinpa district and its environs.
“The shanties we have here that you have seen physically harbour a lot of criminal elements that have been terrorising Gwarinpa and its environs.
“You have issues of illicit drug dealing, you have issues of rape of the girl-child, you have issues of different kind of armed robbery suspects that have been arrested within.
“There is a place even called the Abacha Estate, which the Police have recovered arms and ammunition in times past. So, this demolition is going to bring about better security for those who are residing within Gwarimpa and its environs,” the FCT Command secretary said.
