The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) yesterday removed hundreds of illegal structures around Gishiri village in the Katampe District of Abuja.
The administration said the exercise was aimed at reclaiming encroached plots for the lawful owners to take possession.
Officials of the Development Control Department of the FCTA, accompanied by security personnel, stormed the area with two bulldozers and pulled down the structures on plots for residential, commercial, educational and religious purposes.
While some of the victims of the exercise lamented that they just finished paying their rent barely one week ago, others said the landlords were asking them to pay their rent before their residences were pulled down.
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Also, it was observed that the legal owners of the plots immediately started taking possession of their lands by erecting perimeter fences around them as purportedly directed by the FCTA.
Explaining the exercise, the District Monitor of Katampe and Mabushi districts, Town Planner Samson Atureta, said the affected structures were on people’s lands.
On whether the victims were duly notified prior to the exercise, he said, “Yes, as the district monitor, I got approval to remove Gishiri more than a year ago, but we were just waiting for the logistics. And we finally got greenlight that we were going to do it. I met the director, Development Control, that he should permit me to give them another notice. So, we gave a final notice a week ago.”
Commenting on the number of structures removed so far, he said, “They are in hundreds, as we can’t really give the actual number now even though our site officials are working on it so that we will be able to give proper numbering of the houses we have removed.’’
One of the affected persons, Mama Blessing, who owns a drinking joint and resides in the area, lamented, “Even though we know that they will come and do something like this, at least they would have given us enough time to leave and relocate to another place.”
