Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished shanties and other illegal structures in the Katampe extension of the city, in a bid to end security challenges in the area.
The senior special assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah, explained that the reason for the demolition was to address some security issues around the high-brow Katampe extension district.
According to him, what they are seeing in high-brow areas are the issues of extreme criminality occasioned by some of the people living in shanties in those areas.
“Whenever there are security challenges in the area most of the things recovered are traced to these people living under the cashew trees, shanties, batchers in Katampe extension,” he said.
He reiterated the commitment of the FCT minister, Malam Mohammed Bello to rid the city of shanties, batchers, and all illegal structures on the road corridors, especially in highbrow areas, under high tension cables among others.
The assistant director of Enforcement, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Kaka Bello, said that they decided to clear the illegal squatters in Katampe extension because the area is a diplomatic zone.
“In some of these areas illegal squatters are building illegal structures, these are things the administration is frowning at. AEPB Acts is against it and we are doing everything we can to ensure we sack such nuisances.
“Apart from the fact that they are environmental nuisances, they also contribute to the high rate of crime in this area. There are a lot of suspected criminals who have been arrested in this area. They steal from residents, we are here to clear them,” he said.
