FCTA Profiles Kidnapping Hot Spots

Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced the profiling of areas worst-hit by kidnappers in the nation’s capital.

The director of FCTA Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who led a team, yesterday, to one of the areas where kidnapping took place in the territory recently, said the exercise was to ascertain causes of kidnappings and solutions.

Galadima, while at Sagwari Layout Estate, Dutse, in Bwari Area Council, where kidnappers abducted some residents, said the FCTA officials with the support of security personnel will identify buildings without approval and other illegal activities in the area.

According to him, the area was surrounded by structures built without the consent of the Development Control Department, aiding criminals to operate.

Galadima, who was represented by the deputy director, monitoring and enforcement, Hassan Ogbole, blamed the poor planning on the local chief of the area.

He said after profiling, the department will recommend necessary measures that will curb the activities of criminals.

“The exercise is a fact-finding mission and part of the department’s periodic monitoring of development. What we came to realise recently is the growing chain of illegal developments within the ecological sensitive zone to lower Usuma Dam, which is supposed to be a secured side.

“Activities of illegal developers are a threat to the FCT Administration and to the dam. On several occasions, we have taken steps to carry out enforcement but unabated.

“We attribute this to collaboration between developers and the local chief,  the chief has records of every person. The place is not accessible, it’s not buildable, if you go up, you can see underage children on top of the rocks.

“The government will not condone this. In physical planning, there are places that we reserve, these are reservations. So, we will put up our report and recommendations to the appropriate  quarters and see what could be done,” he said.

The secretary, Command and Control, Security Department, FCT Administration, Dr Peter Olumuji, said the lapses were promoted by illegal activities being promoted by the locals.

“What we have seen here shows the level of insensitivity from the village chief, most of the people we interacted with said they got the lands from the village chief, that the man never cares about the safety of lives and property within the area.

“This mountain site that we visited is where some persons were kidnapped, we have accessed the mountain site, based on the position of Development Control, it’s against the planning template.

“The minister has assured Abuja residents of their safety, also as a fact-finding mission and confidence building that the Administration is not leaving them, we have checked and we will be sure that their security is certain.

“People must also stop buying land from village chiefs, they don’t have the power in FCT to sell land, they are only interested in their monetary gain and not their safety,” Olumuji added.