FCTA debunks viral video claims on alleged park destruction, reclaims railway corridor

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has dismissed a trending video alleging its officials destroyed a public park in Abuja, insisting only illegal makeshift structures were removed during an ongoing city sanitation exercise.

The exercise, which is part of a wider security directive from the FCT Security Council, targeted identified hotspots notorious for harbouring hoodlums, scavengers, and illegal traders.

Speaking after the enforcement exercise code-named City Sanitation, on Monday, the FCT Director, Development Control, Muktar Galadima, said the exercise that began last week has led to a noticeable drop in crime rates in cleared zones.

On arrival at UTC, enforcement teams first cleared a large refuse dump before dismantling shanties used by suspected criminals. The location, according to city planners, forms part of an undeveloped transportation corridor stretching from AMAC to Wuse Zone 3, now being protected from land grabbers.

He said that the corridor will be fenced and put to transport-related use, to prevent reoccupation and sustain the gains of the exercise.

Responding to the viral video, he clarified: “I think the senior special assistant to the minister on media has clarified, but for more clarification, let me make certain things clear to the public. One, notices were made as far back as October 2023, ditto 2024, and then February 2025. The mechanics operating around that area, we invited them for a meeting in our office. We met with them. Told them our plan to sanitise the area and to clear the area of all miscreants.

“Even the scavengers around that area, I personally visited their den, and I told them that we are coming to remove this area. So that day, we moved, we operated, when we came back to mop up, we saw that the people were still there. In fact, they were even hibernating in that shanties within the park.

“It is also important to make the public know that the park was not destroyed. The park which was allocated to Panorama, the park is in existence. Because when you go there today, the playground is there, the gym is there, even the lounge is there. So all other facilities are there in the park. It is only those makeshift structures which are not different from the scavengers’ shanties that were removed. Nothing more, nothing less. And notices were served, adequate notices were served to the operators of those structures.”

Speaking on the reclaimed railway corridor, Galadima explained that the UTC area had long been identified as a criminal hotspot and was also littered with an unattended refuse dump.

As part of the city sanitation campaign, officials first cleared the dump before targeting the shanties where hoodlums were hiding.

While describing the scene as disturbing and alarming, he said that the heap of refuse dump, shanties and hoodlooms terrorising the area prompted immediate action from the FCT Administration to restore safety and order.

“Yeah, the UTC is one of the areas that has been listed as a hotspot or dark spot. And then today, while coming here, we noticed a kind of refuse dump that has been left untended. So, as part of city sanitation, we have to clear that site first before coming to the main area where the hoodlooms are. And on getting here, we have seen what is really disturbing and alarming. So, something serious has to be done. That’s why we’re here now.

“In the master plan of Abuja, and particularly the land use plan for Phase One and Garki District, this is part of the transitway corridor. It’s a system that runs across the city, from here up to behind the AMAC and Ministry of Defence, going towards Wuse, behind Fraser Suit, up to Wuse Zone 3. It’s a system, so we call it transitway system, which has not been developed yet. It’s a proposal, but it’s being maintained and protected against any instance of land grabbing. Going forward, we intend to sustain, because we have been directed by the FCT Security Council, after clearing, we should take possession by way of fencing and putting those uses that are commensurate and friendly to city development.” Galadima said

To prevent illegal return of squatters, Galadima said the cleared site would be revisited regularly for mop-up operations.

He added that the space would be repurposed for transportation-related activities, ensuring it remains useful and aligned with the city’s urban development goals.

Addressing claims of sudden demolition, Galadima stressed that adequate notice had been given. He said there had been enforcement visits two weeks earlier, with traders acknowledging prior warnings.

He said that another notice was issued days before the latest clearance, though he admitted enforcement operations often face resistance and misinformation, as seen with social media reactions to the Zone 3 exercise.

On the security front, the FCTA Director of Security, Dr. Peter Olumuji, said the operation was strategically targeting areas known to harbour criminals who attack unsuspecting residents.

He added that the initiative was being supported by other ongoing operations to track and remove criminals from wherever they relocate.

Olumuji revealed that the clean-up had yielded security gains, with many criminal suspects arrested and prosecuted under the parallel Operation Sweep programme.

“Yes, like the Directorate of Developmental Control have talked about, this clearance operation is a purposeful one that is focused on identified locations that have been having criminal elements hibernating in places and also attacking unsuspecting residents of the FCT. But since we started this operation one week ago up till now, from the crime statistic record we followed up from the FCT Police Command, we noticed that the crime rate within the areas in which we have gone to remove have reduced drastically.

“And one thing we should also know is that we are not just focusing to limit it to where we are clearing. There’s also other operations going on so that anywhere they are relocating to, they are also being removed from such places. That’s why you still have Operation Sweep Abuja also taking place simultaneously with the city sanitation operation.

“There have been a lot of achievements. And I believe, in due time, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, will also brief the press on these achievements.” Olumuji said.