The Federal Capital Territory Administration said it’s moving to reclaim road corridors around the Gwarimpa District, by demolishing illegal structures constituting nuisance and providing cover to criminals in the area.
The illegal structures used as both residential and commercial purposes, occupied a large chunk of the major interchange linking Gwarimpa to Karasana and Kafe Districts.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, who led the demolition team, said the exercise had become necessary after months of warnings with valid quit notices served them.
Attah said that more worrisome about the demolished area, is reports that many criminal activities were traceable there.
According to him, while there are plans by the administration to implement the road projects within that corridor, there was need for the environmental nuisances to be cleared.
Attah said, “There is excessive encroachment to the road corridors and there has been too much reports of criminal activities.
“We marked this place two years ago, remarked it last year, it was also marked again in May this year.
“It is sad that the people waited after these markings and warnings. The only structures that will not be touched here, are the ones belonging to indigenous people.”
A resident of the area whose building was affected by the demolition exercise denied that the victims were given quit notices. On further probing, he admitted that some of the houses in the area were marked, but not his own.
While he condemned the actions, saying he has been thrown into untold hardship, he also appealed to government to help alleviate their sufferings with some palliative.