Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Thursday, removed illegal structures that were obstructing a road corridor at Jabi-Daki Biyu in the Jabi District of Abuja.
Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, led the cleanup team made up of Development Control, security services and Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Attah decried the rate at which people encroached on road corridors in Abuja, saying the minister was very sad and would continue to reclaim the road corridors from the illegal squatters.
He said, “We are in Jabi-Daki Biyu reclaiming the road corridor where people built and encroached on roads. Land is exhaustible, and when people finish selling them, they will start selling those on road corridors.”
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Responding to the complaints of the residents that they contributed N10,000 each in order to dissuade the FCTA staff from removing the structures, the SSA said, “It is a sad incident; once your place is marked for removal, just pack and move to another place, no single indigene is here now.
“The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has warned us over taking bribe from anybody, and today we have come to remove them and the person who collected the money, I’m sure, is not here.
“Those who gave bribe are already weeping and trying to pack their things. I will advise them not to give bribe and not to build on the road corridor again.
“For those who contributed N10,000 each and gave to the chief for onward transmission to us should go back to the chief because we don’t take bribe.”
Blessing, one of those affected, who was in tears, said she just bought the house in January 2023 for N1.4m.
She said, “I just bought this house in January for N1.4m from the former owner who has relocated abroad. I don’t have anywhere to go. I was at work when my neighbour phoned me that they had demolished my house.”
Another victim, Esara, from Akwa Ibom State, who noted that he had been living in the area for 12 years, said, “When they came to mark, they told us they wouldn’t come if we settled them. So, we contributed N10,000 per house which we gave to the vigilantes to give to the chief to help us talk to them.
“It is the Chief of Daki Biyu that sells the land; he collects N150,000 for a one-bedroom land.”
Effort to speak with the chief proved abortive as he was said to be away when City & Crime visited yesterday.
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