By Philip Yatai
The Federal Capital Territory Administration’s Special Ministerial Task Team has demolished illegal settlements along Airport Road, Abuja, behind National Park and National Military Cemetery.
The settlement, Ruga, was demolished, and hundreds of shanties made from sacks, planks, and scrap roofing sheets along the rail corridor were destroyed and set ablaze.
The task team, Operation Sweep, is headed by the Commissioner of Police in FCT, Olatunji Disu. It was directed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to clean the city of all nuisances and criminality.
After yesterday’s operation in Abuja, FCT Director of the Security Service Department Adamu Gwari said that the Ruga settlement was characterized by shanties and other illegal structures built on peoples’ plots of land.
Gwari, represented by Dr. Peter Olumuji, Secretary of FCT Command and Control Centre, pointed out that illegal structures harbor all kinds of criminal elements.
He said the site was close to the rail corridor and that their occupation of the area could pose security threats to residents using the Abuja Metro Line.
“You know we have had incidents of the rail tracks being vandalised. As such, demolishing the illegal structures would improve security on the rail corridor,” he said.
Regarding measures to ensure the illegal occupants do not return to the site, the director said that Wike had warned plot owners to develop them or that the FCT Administration would revoke the allocations.
“Most plot owners have complained over time that they could not access the plots because of these shanties and criminal elements residing here.
“Some of them have tried to take over their plots but were attacked by the illegal occupants.
“Today, the FCTA has cleared the area, so we advised them to immediately take possession of their plots of land and begin development,” he said.
Reacting to the development, one of the dislodged settlers, Ibrahim Yusuf, said they had nowhere to go and that housing in the FCT was beyond their reach.
Yusuf, who described himself as the community’s secretary, said they have lived there for more than 20 years.
He added that the community had been demolished more than 20 times, but they always returned and rebuilt.
“They kept telling us, ‘You people are living in an illegal area, so leave the place,’ but we have nowhere else to go, and we are not ready to leave Abuja.
“We are, therefore, appealing to the FCTA to resettle us. We are ready for whatever conditions the administration will give us,” he said.
