The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has resumed a fresh demolition exercise in the popular Mpape community of the FCT Abuja, after eight months of the massive demolition that took place in the community.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to the Minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah, said that the resumption of the demolition exercise was an effort of the FCTA to save Mpape people from traffic gridlock and criminals taking over the community.
He expressed disappointment that after pulling down shanties on the ever-busy road in Mpape eight months ago, the illegal structures have resurfaced on the road corridors, which has become a haven for bad eggs in the area.
Attah explained that the Administration had received complaints of illegal activities being experienced from the quarry area down to the old market side on the road shoulder.
The Senior Special Assistant said the clean-up will reinvigorate the city’s sanitation, fight against encroachment and curb reported cases of criminal activities, adding that illegal operations in the Mpape area which is adjacent to the bustling Maitama District in Abuja must be checked.
“After eight months, we are back to Mpape because the criminals have returned to the crush rock area. We have gotten reports that they are back, so we have to quickly come and clear them.
“We are doing two things here, revisiting of sanitation exercise, freeing of the road, encroachment, and curbing of criminal activities, especially within the crush rock area.
“The FCT Administration recently launched tourism roadmap, that means that the Crush rock area is needed this will change the narrative of tourism, with this cleaning up criminals will not disturb people going to the tourist area.
“We have also knocked down criminals’ hideouts behind the banks’ area which is the commercial hub. This shows that we are winning in our fight against criminal elements in Mpape,” he said.
