By Ben Adoga, Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, was conceived by the military government of Gen. Yakubu Gowon. When Gowon was ousted in a military coup in 1975, his predecessor, Gen. Murtala Mohammed saw through the dream and actualised the dream of a new federal capital away from Lagos. The idea of Abuja was actually to escape the
crowd, hustle, and bustle of Lagos. When the founding fathers conceived the idea of a new federal capital for Nigeria, what they had in mind was a complete departure from the Lagos experience; a serene modern city
that would be conducive to living and doing business, a city that would be among the best in the world in terms of aesthetics, serenity, and easy flow of traffic as well as tight security and safety for residents. The book has it that it was designed to mimic Rio de Janeiro, the
capital of Brazil.

In summary, Abuja’s main aim was to escape all the frustrations of Lagos in terms of living and doing business. Then, security was not an issue in Nigeria, but the fact that it was conceived and designed by the military, it was natural for security to be given top consideration. Today all that is history, over the years, Abuja is far from the desires of the founding fathers and even present-day residents. Today, nobody will pretend that Abuja residents are guaranteed safety and peaceful living, leaving aesthetics, structural developments, and other issues aside, Abuja has simply become a haven for criminals. Kidnapping takes place in communities very regularly, most of them unreported.

Things went to a head recently when the FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello ordered the
removal of forests in parts of the city. These forests are not part of the official greening of the city, they were created by natives who wanted to create their version of resource Evil forests in the nation’s capital control by making land allottees pay for each stand of very closely planted cashew trees and other so-called economic trees like Melina and others. When an evil forest is mentioned, it calls to mind South Eastern Nigeria as captured by the legendary Chinua Achebe’s classic, Things Fall Apart where the tragic hero, Okonkwo gave up the ghost.

Apart from the fiction, the Okija forest episode of the South East equally comes to mind. Abuja’s forests have nothing to do with these, but a festering sour tale of criminality. Forests in the nation’s capital harbour kidnappers, pickpockets, and scavengers who also steal from individuals as well as public property like man whole covers, bridge railings, traffic lighting facilities, and anything they can lay their hands on. Only last month, in August, the DSS stormed the kidnappers’ den near Police headquarters and close to the Three Arms Zone, Nigeria’s seat of power where all that matters are located, including the presidency.

The DSS said the forest location was a haven for criminals who rob motorists whose vehicles stop or break down along the highway and escape into the bush. Another case in point on June 1 was when the FCT Police Command in collaboration with the Hunters Association hit another kidnapper’s den at Dadu Hills in Kuje Area Council. Here four kidnap victims were rescued and bandits were dislodged from the notorious for- est on the hills. Police official statement confirmed that bandits held some people and were set free when the Police, in collaboration with Destiny Hunters stormed Dadu Hills along Chijwukwu in Kuje Area Council of the FCT.

The Police said the four victims rescued were Mustapha Sani, Felix Vaa, and Adamu Isa, all males who were kidnapped between May 23 and 25 at Kiyi while Abdulsallam Uzagis who was kidnapped at Angwan Gade also in Kuje Area Council was among those that regained freedom. There are several such forests, both natural
and man-made in the FCT. While the natural ones are being depleted, the man-made ones are growing lush for obvious reasons and constituting grave security concerns. However, the FCT Minister is taking steps to
curb criminality in the forests. He has warned natives and owners of such cashew forests against leasing, renting, or allowing criminal elements to use the forests as hideouts, residences, or even locations for drugs and stolen item points.

Those popularly called ‘Baban Bola’ who pretend to be scavengers of waste items are notorious and main suspects in the criminal activities in the forests. They establish colonies called ‘pancakes’ in forests where drugs are peddled, stolen items are hidden, and lately, kidnap victims are kept and traded. Following these disclosures, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello through the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring,
Inspection, and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah warned natives and other residents to stop allowing forests in neighbourhoods. He warned that any renting their property out for pantekacolony would be treated as an accomplice to crimes that take place there.

Attah stated this when he led a clean-up exercise in Mabushi and Jahi areas of Abuja. He made it clear that was unacceptable for owners of undeveloped land or building under construction to rent out their properties for illegal land use different from what was in the plan. According to him, “We are removing Baban Bolas, shanties, around Mabushi area close to Orji Uzor Kalu House in the FCT “It is part of our agenda to clear the city of such criminal locations. Here we found, among other things, someone’s national identity card and international passport that was probably stolen. This is a highbrow area and it won’t be right for Baban Bolas to stay here. We will be handing them over to the appropriate agencies.

“We also saw custom helmets, police uniforms, including a police cap, the official coat of arms which can be from one government agency.” He decried the fact that cashew plantations are now criminal hideouts in Abuja, “The cashew trees are no longer economic trees, they are insecurity trees because whenever we go out we see criminals hiding under the trees. They have become safe havens for criminals.” The SSA to the Minister stated.

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Assistant Director of Enforcement in Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, Kaka Bello, while speaking on behalf of the Director of AEPB, Osilamah Braimoh, said there is no going back on the decision that all partakers,
Baban Bolas, must move to dump sites to do their business.

He added that it is unacceptable that residential areas are being used and accumulation of waste is hazardous to the health of people in that area. “The implications to the environment it is degrading the environment and hazardous to the health of the people in the area. The babanbolas that are being removed today have been removed severally but they keep coming back. “And Director of AEPB Osilamah Braimoh in time back has asked them to vacate the area and ensure they use the dump site, for all this their activities but unfortunately they have
refused to vacate, we have no choice but to remove them, these are residential areas but they have occupied these places and some of the challenges is an accumulation of waste and others.

“Anyone who wants to do the business of waste recycling must do it at the dump sites in Abuja. “We have had a series of meetings with them and told them that if they must operate, they must use the dump site and we have over 90 hectares of land which they can use, which they can use for recycling.” So far, these evil forests must be cleared and the criminals within dislodged to allow FCT residents to operate freely and sleep with both eyes closed.