The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has arrested five workers and vowed to prosecute an Abuja landlord for drilling an over 200-metre borehole on the road in front of an estate at No 4 on Sani Zangon Daura Street, off Bala Muhammad Way, Guzape District.
The Director of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, who led the operation, warned developers and landlords against the destruction of public property, adding that the FCTA would not hesitate to use relevant laws to prosecute any violator.
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Galadima said, “We woke up with someone drilling borehole on our road. They drilled the borehole on our pedestrian walkway.
“This is a serious damage to the environment. Definitely we are going to prosecute him. That is why we are liaising with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and other relevant agencies to prosecute offenders. This is damaging public property. This is vandalisation.”
He added, “This is an opportunity for me to warn other developers that we will not accept this from any of them.
“We will resist any attempt by any developer to use a pedestrian walkway to drill a borehole. You have your property and you must obtain approval before you can drill borehole wherever it is going to be.”
The Head, Monitoring and Enforcement, AEPB, Kaka Bello, while corroborating Galadima, said the owner of the building would be charged to court according to the board’s act.
The Chief Engineer in charge of Guzape District, Engr Aliyu Ahmed, said, “The issue of drilling of boreholes on our walkway has been rampant. There are many boreholes sunk around this area alone.
“We are going to lock up all the illegal boreholes. Drilling borehole on the road corridor is illegal. You can drill a borehole inside your compound but the outside of your compound doesn’t belong to you.”
A staff of the drilling firm, Davita Drill Tech, handling the project, Solomon Donald, said they started drilling on Sunday.
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