By Ben Adoga, with agency report
The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished unapproved structures at Plot 1765 in Games Village, Abuja.
The AMMC Director of Finance and Account, Mr Nasiru Isa, told reporters after yesterday’s exercise in Abuja that the plot was allocated for the council’s Senior Staff Housing Estate.
Isa explained that the demolition exercise to take possession of the land followed due process.
He explained that the plot was initially allocated to a company that constructed Games Village temporarily.
Isa said that a directive from the Presidency in 2008 had instructed the village’s management not to erect, alter, or modify any part of the premises’ external land.
He also explained that the letter was signed by Mr Abbas Umar, former Director (special duties) in the Presidency, for the Ad-hoc Committee on Sale of Federal Government Houses in FCT.
According to him, the management of Games Village flouted the directive in running the estate affairs.
“The plot contains a private school and mechanic workshop, which is not supposed to be there because the site is temporary.
“We have served the management of Games Village several notices before carrying out the demolition today, and there are correspondences to justify our action.
“It is not new. We started the demolition about four months ago, but we only went there today to complete the exercise. We must not forget that the issue has been ongoing for three years.”
Corroborating Isa’s position, the Assistant Director of Urban Affairs, Mr Abubakar Makama, said AMMC had earlier given notice of demolition to the illegal occupants of the land.
Makama added, “We have served the management of Games Village several notices before demolishing today; there are correspondences to justify our action.
“It is not a new thing. We started the demolition about four months ago, and we only went there today to complete the exercise. All the relevant documents are available. We must not forget that the issue has been ongoing for three years.
“The Games Village association wrote a petition, but we brought out all the documents to prove that we are correct. There is a private school and mechanic Workshop on the plot, which is not supposed to be there because the place is a temporary site.”
