According to the statement, in his bid to ensure a safer FCT, Minister Nyesom Wike set up a Stakeholders’ Committee comprising heads of security agencies, FCTA officials, civil society organisations, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and others.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced plans to embark on fresh demolitions of shanties in Abuja’s city centre, insisting that the illegal structures have become hideouts for criminals and obstacles to developmental projects.
Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, said in a statement on Monday that the areas most affected include the Durumi axis, particularly Area 1 in the Garki District, where high-level crimes such as carjacking, armed robbery, drug peddling, and the activities of “one-chance” operators have continued to threaten residents.
“High-level criminal activities such as robbery, carjacking, drug peddling, and other heinous crimes with their attendant security implications for law-abiding FCT residents cannot be allowed to continue,” the statement read.
According to the statement, in his bid to ensure a safer FCT, Minister Nyesom Wike set up a Stakeholders’ Committee comprising heads of security agencies, FCTA officials, civil society organisations, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and others.
“The ongoing onslaught on criminal hideouts in Abuja will continue. These illegal settlements are now operational bases for kidnappers, drug peddlers, and armed robbers, making it impossible for law-abiding Nigerians to live in peace,” the FCTA stated.
Olayinka explained that the committee identified the Durumi/Area 1 corridor as one of the worst-hit spots.
He recalled that during a security operation in the area three months ago, over 120 suspected criminals were arrested, including drug dealers, “one-chance” operators, and armed robbers. Seven stolen vehicles, 79 stolen motorcycles, and 155 ATM cards allegedly snatched from victims were also recovered.
Although some of the shanties were cleared after that raid, Olayinka admitted that the illegal occupants quickly returned and rebuilt the structures, frustrating both land allottees and government agencies that had been unable to access their plots in the area for more than two decades.
“Three months ago, when security agencies carried out an operation in Area 1, Durumi, over 120 miscreants were arrested. Among those arrested in the three-hour operation were drug peddlers, one-chance operators, carjackers, and armed robbers. Seven stolen vehicles and 79 stolen motorcycles were recovered, while 155 ATM cards — snatched from victims by one-chance operators using the settlement as their base — were also found.
“Some of the shanties in Area 1, Durumi were cleared, but today, the shanties are back, and the criminals have regrouped, making the area uninhabitable for law-abiding Nigerians.
“These makeshift houses are built on land allocated more than 20 years ago, but the illegal settlers and criminals who have turned the area into their abode have made it impossible for the allottees to make use of their land. Even government agencies have found it difficult to use their plots in Area 1, Durumi,” he said.
He added that the administration has already started demolishing other shanties in the city centre and will soon extend the operation to Durumi/Area 1 for the next phase of clearance.