Officers of a joint task force on sanitation arrested 19 protesters who besieged the premises of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) in Wuse on Monday.

The officials of the AMMC’s Department of Development Control demolished a mechanic village in Kubwa, which led to the storming of the council premises by 19 protesters and many others.

The director of the department, Mukhtar Galadima, told journalists after the incidents that the workers in the building were going about their official assignments when the protesters besieged the premises.

Mr Galadima said that 19 of the protesters were arrested for the violent disruption of peace in the area.

“We were having a meeting in a conference hall when we heard some noises. We decided to come and see what was happening, and I saw some people with placards.

“Some of the people were talking about Kubwa Mechanic Village, where they owned shops that were demolished by officials of the Department of Development Control.

“But what proof do they have that they have allocations inside the area,” he said.

Mr Galadima said that the sponsors of the protest built what they called a mechanic village inside someone’s property, adding that Development Control ordered the demolition of the village.

He added that beyond building illegally on the property, the action became necessary following a series of complaints of encroachment in the particular space by the rightful owners.

The director, who described the protest as “simply thuggery”, added that the department would recommend the prosecution of the culprit.

“This is a breach of peace, and they should be prosecuted.

“We are also going to find out who among our officers gave out the area for the development of a mechanic village. The officers involved must be dealt with accordingly,” he said.

Also speaking, the secretary of FCTA’s command and control, Peter Olumuji, said that the task force was out on enforcement duty when the distress call came in from development control over the protest.

“We abandoned what we were doing and dashed to the scene immediately and on getting here, we saw the protesters attempting to vandalise the premises, vehicles, and assault development control officers.

“We have been able to arrest 19 of them, and these will be taken to the Utako Police Division for proper investigation and possible prosecution,” he added. 

It was not immediately clear whether the protesters had contacted their legal representatives. 

(NAN)