Many of the residents who never saw it coming were thrown into confusion, as many scrambling to salvage their belongings.
Muktar Galadima, the Director of Development Control for the FCTA said that the illegal buildings were obstructing arterial Road N16, which connected the Federal Secretariat to Maitama, Katampe, Jabi, and Gwarinpa.
He added that the Engineering Department of the FCTA was ready to begin construction on the road as soon as the demolition was completed and that the construction of the road had already been awarded.
Galadima said initial notice was given to the illegal occupants before the demolition.
He said: “This location that we are on is a road corridor, it’s an arterial road that is called N16, but on the other side of the city, this is the road that is named the Shehu Shagari Way. So, it starts from the Federal Secretariat, through Maitama, Katampe, Jahi and then to Gwarinpa.
“As I said, these are structures that were illegally built on the road corridor. That is why we are coming to remove them because the Engineering Department will start the road construction right away. That is why we have to remove the obstacles that are preventing them from the road construction.
“Well, they are being relocated somewhere else, but we have over 10 to 15,000 people who are staying here illegally. As we are clearing now, engineering is already on standby. The contract has been awarded. They are on standby, they wrote to us that they want us to clear this corridor for them so that the road construction can commence. So, they will not come back to this place again”.
The Secretary of FCT Command and Control Center, Peter Olumuji, also said the demolished shanties had become notorious for harbouring criminals, adding that the demolition would bring about better security for those residing in Gwarimpa and its environments.
He said: “The shanties we have here that you have seen physically harbours a lot of criminal elements that have been terrorizing Gwarinpa and its environments. You have issues of illicit drug dealing, you have issues of rape of the girl child, you have issues of different kinds of armed robbery suspects that have been arrested within. There is a place even called the Abacha Estate, where the Police have recovered arms and ammunition in times past. So, this demolition is going to bring about better security for those who are residing within Gwarimpa and its environments.”
