The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has demolished over 600 illegal structures in Zamani village, a suburb of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The FCTA authority reiterated that local chiefs have no right to sell land and people should stop buying land from them to avoid demolition.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring Inspection and Enforcement to the Minister of FCT, Ikahro Attah, stated this while speaking to Journalists after the exercise.
The Minister’s Aide said, “I can say over 600 illegal structures were pulled down.
“The Minister had issued that warning times without number, they have gone against the urban and regional planning acts. They have violated the law. It cost the administration money, hours and manpower to clear them.
“We are not paying any compensation because they violated the law. We are not done with Zamani community because we have a city to protect
“No chief has the right to sell land. Even the ones the Area Councils allocated always go back to the FCDA for recertification. We met all the Chiefs three weeks ago and they denied selling lands to farmers. But farmers who bought the lands for farming had built on them without building plans.”
Attah said; “What is really painful is that we suspended work on Monday in order to allow people to pack but most of them did not do what they should have done. Some persons are thinking Government is not serious but they should have known that the FCT Minister is really committed to restoring the Abuja Master plan, especially to get rid of illegal structures in Abuja.”
The Director, Department of Development Control, TPL Murkhtar Galadima, warned staff of the department against taking any bribe from any person, noting that he would not hesitate to use the civil service rule.
He said;”We have worked more than two days and today we have over 615 illegal structures that were removed.
“I have been hearing from some people that they allegedly contributed N100, 000 to stop their houses being demolished but the work still went on. Anyone who gives or collect money is at his own risk because we will still do our jobs.”
One of the victims, Mr Bamidele Taiwo explained that he bought the land seven years ago from the Chief.
He said; “My house was affected even now all my family are outside with all my luggages. We later heard that it is people that didn’t settle them that they are demolishing their houses.
“It is the indigenes that are pointing to houses for demolition. Some of the houses that were not demolished are not for indigenes.”
Bolaji Ganiyu, who is also a resident of Zamani that was affected by the demolition said, “I bought land from the Chief of Zamani for N100, 000 and he didn’t tell us about indigene or non-indigene.
“Now they removed our house and all our properties are outside. When the house was marked, we went to meet the Chief and he told us to meet Chief of Jiwa and we went to meet him to give us at least six months notice but they refused, we even went to the Human Right Radio to plead.
Dominica Nwabufo
