The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has taken action to demolish residential structures obstructing the Jabi-Dakibu road corridor in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). The senior special assistant to the FCT minister on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, led the demolition exercise in collaboration with the Department of Development Control, Security Services, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), and all relevant security agencies. This action is part of the FCTA’s ongoing efforts to reclaim road corridors from illegal squatters.
Speaking on the exercise, Attah decried the rate at which people encroach on road corridors in Abuja, stating that the land is exhaustible when people build and encroach upon it. “We are reclaiming the road corridor where people built and encroach upon. The land is exhaustible when people finish selling land, then they start selling the road corridor,” he said.
Responding to the complaint of the residents that they contributed N10,000 to dissuade FCT staff from removing their illegal structures, Attah said it was a sad irony, and he urged residents not to give bribes or build on the road corridor again. He also advised Abuja residents to stop buying lands from locals as they often deny selling road corridors to them, and what they sold to them were farmlands.
During the demolition exercise, one of the affected residents, Ms. Blessing, who was in tears, said she had just bought the house in January 2023 for N1.4 million. “I do not have anywhere I can go; I was at work when my neighbor phoned me that they have demolished my house,” she said.
Esara from Akwa Ibom state said he had been living in the area for 12 years, and when they came to mark their houses for demolition, they were told they wouldn’t be removed if they settled the staff. They contributed N10,000 per house, which they gave to the vigilante to give to the Chief to help them talk to the FCTA staff. He said it was the Chief of Dakibiu that sold the land for N150,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
The FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has warned against bribery, and the FCTA is determined to reclaim all road corridors from illegal squatters. The FCTA will continue to monitor and take action against any further encroachment on road corridors.
In conclusion, the FCTA’s action to reclaim road corridors from illegal squatters is commendable, as it will help to ease traffic congestion and ensure the safety of road users. Abuja residents should adhere to the city’s planning regulations and avoid building on road corridors or buying lands from locals who often deny selling road corridors to them.