The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has vowed to sustain the demolition of illegal structures, markets and shanties built on the encroached rail corridor in Gwarimpa.
The joint task team comprising FCTA Senior officials, the Nigerian Army, Police, FRSC, NSCDC, Immigration Service, NDLEA, DSS, Directorate of Road Traffic Services and AEPB had stormed the rail corridor unannounced to commence demolition of shanties, markets and batchers defacing the satellite town.
Speaking on behalf of the administration, the senior special assistant on monitoring, inspection and enforcement to the minister of FCT, Comrade Ikharo Attah, made this known immediately after the cleanup exercise in Gwarimpa at the weekend.
“We are here for several reasons, the first one is that there have been a series of complaints over this place. Secondly, the issue of city sanitation is a problem here, and general issues of insecurity here. This is Hayari kasua market, we cleared it last year and this year we have come again to clear it because the traders returned.
“The police commissioner, Sunday Babaji and DPO in Gwarimpa have got reports of criminal activities going on here, residents have complained very bitterly of persons trying to hide here as cover to rob neighborhoods and that has been very alarming.
“Today, some arrests were made of people carrying illicit drugs and were arrested by the NDLEA of the command and control JTF team under the CP of FCT and the DC Bernard Iwe.
“The police also arrested three suspected criminals and the NDLEA arrested two people peddling drugs. This is a big task, but we are not given up. We will keep coming until they stop coming. We came under the rain for the enforcement,” he said.
Attah added that the land belongs to the FCT administration and was designed as a transit part connecting the Kubwa outer northern road, and that it had not been awarded does not mean that people should encroach on it and build offensive markets, batchers, and shanties that serve as a criminal hideouts.
