The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished a taxi park at NICON Junction, Maitama, Abuja, for allegedly turning it into a drug colony and a den for criminals.
Director, (FCTA) Security Services Department, Adamu Gwari, who spoke during the demolition exercise, said the taxi park was a security threat as well as environmental nuisance to residents of the city.
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He also said the demolition was a proactive measure taken in view of the reoccurring insecurity across the country.
“In line with the city programme, this place is a taxi rank but it has been highly abused and turned into nuisances. That is why we have to remove everything. This place has become a security threat and it breeds criminality. There is a series of concerns from the residents regarding the rate of criminality which emanates from this place,” he said.
Chairman, FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, Ikharo Attah, who also spoke, said the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, was worried that government’s efforts towards alleviating residents’ transportation difficulties were scuttled by the miscreants.
“This place is supposed to be an interchange according to the plans, but temporarily turned into a taxi rank to manage transportation problems but the place was badly abused. The place was turned to home for drug addicts and has become very dangerous for the neighbourhood here.
“The minister was clear when he gave a matching order that this nuisance be removed. The taxi rank has become a contravention that can’t be allowed to continue existing.
“All the concerned departments will ensure that the nuisance does not come back here, because this place is in the heart of Maitama district.
“The minister has ordered that we should green the place, to add to the aesthetics of the city,” Attah noted.
