The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Monday, stormed another area in Gwarimpa District of Abuja, demolishing multiple illegal structures built on road corridors.
The illegal structures used for both residential and commercial purposes occupied a large chunk of the major interchange linking Gwarimpa to Karasana and Kafe Districts of Abuja.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, who led the team, said reclaiming the road corridors within the districts had become very important to the Administration.
Attah noted that more worrisome about the demolished structures were the reports that many criminal activities were rampant at the shanties.
According to him, while there were plans by the Administration to implement the road projects within the affected corridor, there was a need for the environmental nuisances to be cleared.
“There is excessive encroachment to the road corridors and there have been too many reports of criminal activities. We marked this place two years ago and remarked it last year, it was also marked again in May this year.
“It is sad that the people waited after these markings and warnings. The only structures that will not be touched here, are the ones belonging to indigenous people,” he said.
One of the owners of the illegal structures, Peter Livinus, who stood on the rubbles of his demolished house looking confused, however, denied that he was given a prior quit notice.
On further probing, Livinus admitted that some of the houses in the area were marked, but not his own.
While he condemned the action of the FCTA, saying he has been thrown into untold hardship, he also appealed to the government to help and alleviate their sufferings with some palliatives.