The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is intensifying its efforts to clear illegal settlements and shanties that are a threat to security and a roadblock to development projects in Abuja.
This ongoing crackdown on criminal hideouts, particularly in Durumi and Area 1 in Garki, is a direct response to the alarming rise in crimes like robbery, carjacking, and drug trafficking.
To tackle this issue,
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has established a special committee composed of heads of security agencies, FCTA officials, civil society groups, and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
According to Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, the committee identified that these shanties not only prevent landowners and the government from developing their properties, but they have also become a base for kidnappers, drug dealers, and “one-chance” operators.
Olayinka noted that a similar operation three months ago resulted in the arrest of over 120 suspects and the recovery of stolen vehicles, motorcycles, and ATM cards from victims.
Despite that effort, the shanties have reappeared and the criminals have regrouped, making the area dangerous for law-abiding residents.
The FCTA is determined to move forward with clearing these makeshift structures, which have been built on land allocated more than 20 years ago.
The administration is already clearing shanties in the city center and plans to clear those in Area 1, Durumi very soon.
