The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Tuesday began the demolition of 2,400 shanties in the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) settlements located at Kukwuaba- Wuye District along the corridor leading to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that over 1,000 shacks were removed during the exercise carried out under heavy security presence by FCTA Department of Development Control.
The Director of the Department, Malam Muktar Galadima, said the exercise was to checkmate security challenges posed by threat of Boko Haram and kidnapping and bring orderliness and sanitation to the nation’s capital city.
Galadima explained that apart from security threats to Abuja, the shanties were becoming serious environmental hazard within the railway corridors and it must not be allowed to continue.
He promised that the exercise would be sustained with weekly monitoring to ensure that occupants of the affected shanties do not reassemble.
According to him, the illegal squatters are notorious of defying the laws, and disregarding government orders.
”This is in continuation of implementation of the FCT mandate of the Next Level by ensuring that we checkmate the issue of security challenges as well as bringing orderliness and sanitation to the nation’s capital city environment.
” So far, we’ve cleared over 1000 shanties (temporary structures made of batchers and sacks. The work is ongoing, so we will continue till the end,” he said.
Reacting to the operation, Secretary to the Chief of the Ruga Community, Usman Abubakar, conceded they could not question the relevant authority from demolishing the structures in the settlement.
He said: “We’ll be satisfied if government can give us a small land in this Abuja, so that we will occupy and settle down.” (NAN)
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