The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday demolished worship centres and warehouses built on illegal plots in Zauda village of Jiwa community in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

Ikharo Attah, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, who led the exercise, explained that it was aimed at clearing encroachment on the land swap infrastructure model.

“We want to appeal to people to understand that ‘illegality remains illegality’; we are not disobedient to the creator.

“When we came here today, we discovered that a worship centre was built on an illegal plot, and we are bound to remove them,” he said.

Mr Attah noted that the owners of the demolished structures would not be compensated.

“There is no compensation earmarked for this area at all. The village chiefs are all here even though the people alleged that they sold the lands to them.”

Speaking, the director, Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, revealed that over 500 houses, warehouses, and worship centres were removed from the area.

“This is the continuation of what we started a couple of days ago, clearing illegal structures along the infrastructure corridor. We have come to conclude it today.

“So far, from Friday, September 23, till today, over 500 structures have been removed. We allowed them to remove their valuables,” he said.

He further said compensation could be assessed and paid to only indigenous people but no compensation for non-indigenes.

Mr Galadima explained that this was because such a policy had been in place, adding that non-indigenes had been warned not to buy land from locals. 

(NAN)