The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has begun demolishing illegal structures and settlements allegedly used as hideouts by suspected criminals. 

Dr Peter Olumuji, the secretary of the FCT Command and Control Centre, disclosed this on Friday during an enforcement operation in Wassa, a satellite community in the FCT.

Mr Olumuji explained that the proactive steps were to ensure sustained security for FCT residents.

He said the enforcement was being carried out under Operation Sweep FCT, initiated to rid the territory of criminals.

He added that the operation would also focus on clearing illegal settlements and uncompleted structures serving as safe havens for criminals.

“We have received a lot of intelligence reports about crime and criminality in these areas. Some of these locations served as safe havens for criminals.

“Development control had already marked the areas since February 25 and notices were given to residents to vacate.

“Officials had also engaged community leaders and sensitised occupants before the enforcement exercise commenced,” he said.

He stressed that the renewed operation would not be limited to Abuja city centre, noting that security agencies were targeting criminal enclaves in satellite towns and border communities.

“Wassa is not in the city centre, yet we are here. We are also identifying locations in Kugbo, Jikwoyi, Karshi and other places that serve as safe havens for criminal elements.

“The more we remove these hideouts, the more we improve security in the FCT,” he said.

The Chairman of the Wassa community, Mr Garzali Umar, expressed support for the operation, saying, “Many transient occupants in the area are unknown to residents and security agencies.”

Mr Umar added that the community had repeatedly raised concerns over suspicious movements and increased use of informal settlements by criminals.

Earlier, Mrs Ukachi Adebayo, the Head of Enforcement at the Social Development Secretariat, said the secretariat had evacuated and rehabilitated more than 800 destitutes from different parts of Abuja under the operation.

“After evacuating them, we profiled, rehabilitated and trained them before reintegrating them into society,” she said.

 (NAN)