The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has begun a massive demolition and clean-up of illegal structures in Kuje Area Council.
FCTA officials, backed by a heavy security team drawn from the military, police, and paramilitary agencies, stormed the area and cleared roadside encroachments from the tipper garage to the Kuje main market.
Hundreds of structures, including kiosks, containers, store attachments, worship centers, shanties, and sign posts encroaching on road corridors, were removed during the seven-hour cleanup.
Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Mr Ikharo Attah, noted that said the exercise monitored by the guidance of Police Commissioner, Sunday Babaji and other security heads in the Territory
“Today, we have been able to address the issue of road side encroachment from tipper garage to the main market, we couldn’t enter the forest, but we told them to park that forest is not supposed to be a market while we also touched the fruit market”. Mr Ikharo Attah noted.
Mr Attah explained that the Minister had expressed dismay over extreme contraventions in multiple places in Kuje, hence the need for a week long clean-up exercise.
One of the victim, Charity Onu, a trader, who owns a shop in Kuje market said they were often forced to carry their goods to roadside due to obstructions on the road leading to the market.
Reporting by Remi Johnson; editing by Adeniyi Bakare