Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) demolition team has issued a final demolition quit notice to traders of Apo-Dutse Market to vacate the area before the bulldozer moves in.
The FCT Minister’s Taskforce on City Sanitation during the operation arrested 14 suspected criminals and seized illicit drugs from drug dealers in the area, and they were handed over to the police for further investigation.
The senior special assistant on monitoring, inspection and enforcement to the FCT minister, Ikharo Attah, said the traders’ activities in the area were illegal and a security threat to the territory.
He said the administration had been issuing demolition notices to the traders for a long time and would not give them another grace after the next 24 hours.
Attah stated that the administration through the taskforce squad had exhausted all the avenues for the demolition and would not accept a further engagement with the traders.
According to him, another faction sent a letter to the taskforce for quick action but another one said it should be extended to three weeks since they were asked to leave the place.
“The FCTA is giving them 24 hours to quit before the machine will roll in, this market is the biggest pantaker market in Abuja. We have given them a long period notice, before the last Ramadan and after the holy month. We also raided shanties at Dape area of Gwarinpa District and others in the Limito axis of Kado Fish Market,” he said.
The FCT Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation had before the last Ramadan issued a seven-day notice, but was extended due to the fasting in the holy month.
