On Saturday, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) demolished all illegal markets in Area 11 and the Federal Secretariat to curb the incessant insecurity faced by residents.

Osi Braimah, AEPB director, said this after demolishing all the shanty stores built in the COVID-19 market at Area 11 and the shanties built around the Federal Secretariat.

Mr Braimah said the government had made provisions for sites where petty trading could be carried out, but the traders have yet to comply.

“This is an ongoing exercise by various agencies of the FCT. AEPB has been given marching order by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to clear all shanties, illegal markets and squatter camps in the FCT,” he said.

The director said the Federal Secretariat portion used as an illegal market is a road corridor taken over by petty traders and expressed optimism that the FCT Administration would soon commence the project to forestall the return of the traders.

“The massive commencement of road projects within the FCT will soon take care of the problems of shanties in the areas.

“Part of the problems we have in the FCT is the inability of people developing their plots after they acquire them.

“Part of the problems that we need to overcome is for people to develop their plots quickly, clean them and use them for the purposes they are meant for and not leave them vacant,” Mr Braimah appealed.

Similarly, Kaka Bello, deputy director of the Monitoring and Enforcement Department, AEPB, said the demolition was a normal routine duty carried out by the board to clean the city.

Mr Bello said that the Area 11 market was carved to help residents within the area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(NAN)