By Ben Adoga, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has demolished ungoverned spaces used by criminals for notorious criminal activities in the Katampe axis of the territory.
Hoodlums who use these bushes and ungoverned spaces have often threatened the peace of residents of the nation’s capital, Abuja.
Part of the cleared location was a high-tension wire where human activities were not allowed.
Keeping these criminals away perpetually, the FCTA Department of Development Control on Monday said some of these recovered spaces would be converted to parks and recreation centers to curb the rate of crimes being perpetuated in the neighbourhoods.
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The Director, Development Control Department, Mukhtar Galadima told journalists after the clean-up exercise in the Katampe extension that similar measures will be replicated in other areas where the administration recently moved in to demolished shanties.
Galadima, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Monitoring and Enforcement of the department, Hassan Ogbole, lamented that the hoodlums constantly returned to the area despite being cleared severally.
He said, “We have done this (demolition) in several locations and we are here in Katampe extension. This is a high-tension line where any kind of activity is not supposed to be going on around it but unfortunately, this is the fourth time the task team will be here.
“Whenever we remove the structure, they come back. We know they are being exploited by people within themselves and outside, but we are investigating thoroughly to bring those involved to law.
“We will keep doing this. We can’t leave an ungoverned space and that’s why we are working on governance now. We are working in partnership with the residents’ association of Katampe Extension as well as with the Parks and Recreation Department.
“Sooner or later we will get them to take proper occupation of this place so that these people will not come back. Before then we will keep coming here to make sure they don’t come back.”
The Assistant Director in charge of the Maintenance, Parks and Recreation Department, Isa Abdulmalik, disclosed that the measure will be replicated in all ungoverned spaces in Kabusa, Gaduwa, Guzape, Apo Dutse, and others.
“We are going to fence this place and put a recreational facility which will be used by the residents to serve as a neighborhood park for the people here.
“With this, I think we will curb most of the illegal activities and the taking over of this place by hoodlums in the past. So I believe when we do that, the neighbourhood and the people around will enjoy the facility. There are so many other places within this city so far, that we have recovered and created parks. Some of these areas are in Kabusa, Gaduwa, Guzape, Apo Dutse, and others.”
Earlier, the Secretary of FCTA Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Olumuji, had explained that residents of the Katampe extension had complained of security threats due to the influx of criminal elements in the area.
Olumuji said, “We’ve seen incidences of people coming here to sell drugs and the rest and a lot of other vices that go on around here.
“But, now that we’ve come around here for clearance operation, our own is just to ensure that this place is clear of these people so that they can’t hibernate and perpetrate their dangerous activities to residents of this environment.”
In a related development, the FCTA through the Abuja Investment Company Limited, AICL, has commenced the beautification and re-organisation of the demolished sites of the city’s informal activities.
To this end, the Galadima led-joint city management task team that has been working with relevant security agencies such as the Nigerian police, NSCDC, the NDLEA, the DSS, the Immigration Service, the Correctional Service, and Fire Service visited the new facility at Area 1 Shopping Centre.
