The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) Task Force yesterday, raided food vendors and took away valuables for alleged violation of the Abuja master plan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the officers came to the central area in four vehicles with a naval security patrol team for the operation.
Some of the items taken away included cooked food and assorted soups.
In a move to disperse customers, the task force dismantled structures erected by the vendors to scare them away.
An official of the task force, who spoke to NAN under anonymity, said the move became necessary to restore the FCT to its approved master plan.
He said that various attempts were made in the past to dissuade the vendors from indiscriminate sale of food in the central area.
The official said that several letters had been written from the office, suggesting that some officials had compromised in the bid to chase the vendors away.
“There are food courts approved by the FCT administration to accommodate all food vendors, I don’t know why they are still selling indiscriminately.
“We shall continue to arrest them because it is our mandate to rid the nation’s capital of unapproved structures,” the official said.
The leader, however, said that there were complaints of un-affordability of spaces at the food courts by the vendors, saying efforts were on to expand them.
A vendor, who went on her knees with tears, pleaded with the task force for leniency but was ignored.
The AEPB officials, however, said that no amount of begging would make the task force soft-pedal in its quest to rid the FCT of hawkers. (NAN)
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