The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Tuesday arrested five suspected criminals selling and taking illegal drugs under the flyover in Wuse, Abuja.

The criminals fled the scene when they sighted the combined team of FCT Minister’s Task Force but the security agents were able to arrest five of them with Indian hemp.

Reacting to the arrest, Ikharo Attah, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, said the activities of food vendors and others pose danger to residents.

“We went round all the bridges in the city centre, we were very shocked about what we saw at the bridges in the centre of the nation’s capital.

“We saw massive settlements, massive business communities, eroded soil, we saw the bridge heavily smoked due to the activities of food vendors and welding work going on.

“People are living under the bridge, we arrested five persons with Indian hemp here, carpenter business, charcoal business all under the bridge.”

The minister’s aide explained that the five persons arrested would be taken for investigation, adding that the measure was part of efforts to rid Abuja of environmental nuisance.

Mr Attah assured that the exercise would be sustained in the territory.

Kaka Bello, the Head of Monitoring and Enforcement, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), lamented the huge environmental degradation ongoing under the flyovers in the city.

He said public property that belonged to every resident was being destroyed by few people “and this is unacceptable”.

“We are here to stop all illegal activities under the bridges. And we have arrested some people and they will be charged to court.

“Apart from degradation, destruction of public property, we also have issues of insecurity with a lot of miscreants living under the bridge.” 

(NAN)