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The Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA has begun mass demolition of illegal structures behind the old Federal Secretariat in Area 1, Abuja in its renewed efforts to tackle criminal elements in the area.
The Administration had last month issued a demolition notice to owners of the structures with reminder on March 1 to leave the place.
Speaking to journalists after the exercise on Wednesday, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the Minister, Attah Ikharo said the number of shanties in the area was worrisome and needed serious clean up.
He regretted that the secretariat which houses the Ministries of Interior as well as Trade and Investments among others has been taken over by the illegal structures which constituted security threat to the nationโs capital.
Ikharo explained that the demolition followed series of complaints received about the area from security agencies and strategic persons.
He said: โIt is a lot worrisome. We have been receiving series of complaints from security agencies and strategic persons. So, as part of our efforts to clean the federal capital of shanties, we have to start the pulling down of the illegal structures.
โThe FCT Administration will not allow shanties to take over Ministries of Interior and that of Trade and Investment with other key ministries.
โIt would have been done since last year but because of the wet season we had to leave it till now, dry season. Even now it is not easy but we have to do it. We had warned them time without number to vacate the placeโ
On claims by owners of the illegal structures that they were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Borno state, Ikharo said the IDPs were few in number at the fringes of the Dunamis church and near the main road.
However, Senator Ali Ndume who represents Borno South in the National Assembly and who visited the area during the exercise, called for profiling of the IDPs.
Ndume said, โwe are all Nigerians, we must obey rules and regulations. There is nothing wrong demolishing structures serving as security threats to offices belonging to senior government officials, therefore let all of you that know that you are IDPs write down your names for proper documentationโ he advised.
