The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said it will clear illegal settlements in Abuja after security agencies arrested over 120 miscreants, including drug peddlers, carjackers, and armed robbers, in shanties located in Area 1, Durumi.
This is part of an ongoing onslaught against criminal hideouts in the Federal Capital Territory.
This was disclosed by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.
Olayinka explained that the FCTA described as worrisome, security threats from parts of Durumi District, particularly Area 1 in Garki District.
“High-level criminal activities such as robbery, carjacking, drug peddling, and other heinous crimes with their attendant security implications to law-abiding FCT residents cannot be allowed to continue,” Olayinka said.
120 miscreants arrested during raid
According to him, the shanties in these districts have become operational bases for criminals.
“These criminals include kidnappers, drug peddlers, and one-chance operators.
“Three months ago, when security agencies carried out an operation in Area 1, Durumi, over 120 miscreants were arrested.
“Among those arrested in the operation that lasted over three hours were drug peddlers, one-chance operators, carjackers and armed robbers,” he said.
He added that the raid also led to the recovery of stolen property, including vehicles, 79 stolen motorcycles, and 155 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards. The cards, he noted, were snatched from victims of one-chance operators who used the settlement as their base.
- Olayinka noted that in a bid to ensure a safer city, the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, set up a Stakeholders Committee comprising security agency heads, FCTA officials, Civil Society Organisations, and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The committee, he said, identified that the presence of shanties in Area 1 and Durumi not only hampers the use of land by allottees but also obstructs government-led development projects.
Return of shanties despite earlier clearance
Olayinka explained that although some of the illegal structures in Durumi and Area 1 had previously been demolished, they have since resurfaced. He said the return of the shanties has allowed criminals to regroup, turning the area into a dangerous zone for law-abiding residents.
He also noted that the shanties were built on land allocated more than 20 years ago, but the illegal settlers and criminals who turned the area into their abode have made it impossible for the allottees to make use of their lands.
He added that even government agencies with land in the area have been unable to develop them because of the illegal occupation.
“Consequently, the FCTA is already clearing shanties in the City Centre, and those in Area 1, Durumi will be cleared very soon,” Olayinka said.
He stressed that the demolition of illegal settlements is part of broader efforts to restore safety and order in Abuja, while ensuring that development projects can proceed unhindered.
What you should know
In November 2024, Nairametrics reported that the Federal Capital Territory Administration demolished 11,705 shanty colonies between January and October.
According to Mukhtar Galadima, Director of Development Control, the exercise also cleared obstructing structures on waterways in Lugbe, Jahi, and Lokogoma to address flooding issues in the city. He added that 13,873 direct and indirect jobs were created during the demolition activities.
Most recently, the FCTA demolished illegal structures and shanties popularly known as “Cashew Garden” in the Apo Cadastral Zone E27 of Abuja. Galadima explained that the area had become a hotspot for miscreants and activities threatening residents, stressing that the occupation was illegal and not backed by government authorisation.
He warned that land allocations would be revoked from plot owners who permit unauthorised settlements, particularly those that serve as hideouts for criminals.
