By Ben Adoga, Abuja
The FCT Administration has warned owners of plots where it removed miscreants, popularly known as ‘banan bola’ or ‘pantekas’ to develop or risk revocation.
The FCT Ministerial Task team on City Sanitation had embarked on massive demolition of illegal structures and scrap markets around the FCT.
The recent Apo Dutse scrap market is reputed to be the largest scrap market in the FCT.
The minister warned on Friday that owners of such plots, especially in Apo Dutse who do not move in to develop risk revocation as the Administration would not condone undeveloped plots within and around the city centre that will promote criminal hideouts and illegal activities.
The popular Apo Dutse Scrap Market, otherwise known as ‘Panteka’ had over 4,000 demolished shanties. The market had operated for several years, and illegally occupies a large expanse of land within a residential district.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah who led the team to continue with the demolition, said owners of undeveloped plots should immediately proceed to the Department of Development Control to get their building plan approval and commence development.
He warned that the Administration would have no option but to revoke the titles to the plots if the owners fail to take over the reclaimed lands.
According to him, the place had been infiltrated by all manners of dangerous criminals, hence the need to demolish it, that it was regrettable that the original allottees had kept the land to make more money.
He further advised those who are interested in the Pantaker business to move to Gosa Dumpsites, and not relocate to other illegal places.
Attah said, ” What we have advised and would use this medium to notify plot owners within this area to report themselves immediately to Development Control to obtain building plan approval and commence building on their plots of land.
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” If they fail to do so we will be left with no option, but to write and recommend to the Minister for the revocation of all land titles, because we cannot suffer in vain clearing this place for this number of days, and the owners will sit down to speculate, waiting for when they will make big money.
” What we are telling them, is that the owners of this expanse of land housing the Apo-Dutse Pantaker should commence development or it will be revoked and given to those who are ready to develop.
” We have advised the operators of Pantaker to move to Gosa Dumpsites. As they keep going to the wrong places, we will continue to go after them.
” To avoid criminalities in the scrap market, we have also advised them to move to the permanent site and develop internal mechanisms to stop criminals from infiltrating them”, he added.
