FCTA bust criminals’ flash points, demolishes park turned drug colony

Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja

In a bid to sustain its operations against criminal activities, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished a taxi park, for allegedly been turned to drug addicts colony and home for many other criminal elements.

The Director, FCTA Security services department, Adamu Gwari, lamented that the space at Nicon junction in Maitama district, which was originally meant to serve as an interchange but was converted to a temporary taxi park to mitigate the hardship of commuters, was had not only been turned to environmental nuisance, but also metamorphosed into a security threat.

Gwari who led other officials in the demolition exercise, also noted that in view of the recent security challenges recorded across the country, and the administration’s commitment to deal with all potential threats to its residents, such nuisance could no longer be tolerated within the city.

“In line with the city programme this place is a taxi rank, but it has been highly abused and turned nuisances. That is why we have to remove everything.

This place has become a security threats and it breeds criminality, there are series of concerns from the residents as regarding the rate of criminality which emanates from this place.”

Also speaking, Chairman, FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, Ikharo Attah said FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello was worried and pained that government’s efforts towards alleviating residents transportation difficulties was scuttled by miscreants.

Attah explained that the Ministerial directive to immediately demolish the taxi park , was meant to promptly address a brewing insecurity within the highbrow Maitama district, saying the park was terribly abused.

According to him, a place magnanimously provided by government to ease residents movement, unfortunately, had turned to a hiding place for drug addicts.

He vowed that the contravention won’t be allowed to remain an environmental nuisance and also breed insecurity within the neighbourhood and the territory at large, noting that

He also added that all relevant Departments and Agencies have directed to ensure that the nuisance does not return to the place.

“This place is supposed to be an interchange according to the plans, but temporarily turned to a taxi rank to manage transportation problem, but the place was badly abused.

The place was turned to home for drug addicts and has become very dangerous for the neighbourhood here.

“The Minister was was clear when he gave a matching order that this nuisance he removed. The taxi rank has become a contravention that can’t be allowed.

“All the concerned department will ensure that the nuisance does not come back here, because this place is the heart of Maitama district.

“The Minister has ordered that we should green the place, to add to aesthetic of the city”, Attah noted.