The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished hundreds of illegal residential structures and extensions within Gishiri village at Katampe District of the FCT, in continuation of its resolve to reclaim encroached plots of land for the rightful owners to take possession.
It was observed that officials of the Development Control Department of the FCTA, accompanied by joint security personnel stormed the area with two bulldozers, and pulled down the structures illegally erected inside people’s plots of land and right of way, for residential and commercial purposes, including educational and religious purposes.
While some of the people affected decried that they just finished paying their rent barely one week ago, others said the landlords were asking them to pay their rent before their structures were pulled down.
Also, it was observed that the owners of the legally allocated plots of land have started taking possession of their land by erecting perimeter fences around their respective plots, as they were encouraged to do so by the FCTA.
The district monitor of Katampe and Mabushi Districts of the FCT, Town Planner Samson Atureta, during the demolition exercise, which he said will be ongoing as the extensions were actually erected on people’s legally allocated plots in the area.
“There are so many illegal developments and the village extensions, that’s why we had to clear them because these extensions are actually on people’s legally allocated plots of land.
“So, what we are doing here is to ensure that all those developments that are village extensions are removed, even as we are trying to be careful not to tamper with the houses where indigenes are living in.
“Government might take time because of procedures, eventually they will get there. So, today is one of those days that they are here. We cannot help it as these extensions have to go, to allow the legal owners to take possession of ideally allocated plots,” he said.
One of the affected persons, who identified herself as Mama Blessing, who operates a drinking joint and resides in the area, lamented: “Even though we know that they will come and do something like this, at least they would have given us enough time to leave and relocate to another place.
“For me, I am still looking for a place to relocate, but my appeal to the government is that they should help us relocate to another place, as the suffering is too much. We are not rejecting the demolition exercise as we knew that it is government land. But please let them give a time to leave, because to suddenly quitting this place is not easy, especially when we do not have another place to go to,” she declared.
