Tough time awaits criminals in abandoned, completed buildings – FCTA official

Hard times await criminal elements hiding in uncompleted structures, abandoned plots of land and buildings across Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), following a directive from the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike for the establishment of a Special Task Force to dislodge them.

Director, Department of Security Services, FCT Administration, Mr. Adamu Gwary,  disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Gwary explained that the measure was to curb the menace of miscreants, vandalising government’s assets and infrastructure.

He noted that the FCT Security Committee had identified uncompleted structures, abandoned plots of land and buildings as some of the hibernating points for miscreants.

“So, the Commissioner of Police in FCT has been mandated to work with his colleagues to form a task team to that effect.

“They have made a submission on Tuesday to the Minister on financing the exercise, which will not only cover pantaker markets, but locations where scavengers are hibernating.

“These included uncompleted and abandoned structures and any other location that intelligence revealed as a hibernating point for miscreants,” he said.

The director said that in the next two to three weeks, there would be strategic efforts to clear all criminal hideouts in FCT and other locations used to unleash their mayhem.

According to him, all uncompleted buildings, abandoned plots of land and structures would be identified and cleared.

“This measure will ensure that criminal elements do not have a hiding place where they can organise to unleash their mayhem on our infrastructure or attack and rub residents.”

Speaking on undeveloped lands, Gwary said that the FCTA Land Department was currently conducting a census of all undeveloped lands in the FCT as directed by the Minister.

He recalled that Wike had directed owners of undeveloped plots of lands to develop their lands or the allocation would be revoked.

He said that the measure, if implemented, would significantly address security concerns relating to undeveloped plots of land, growing bushes and serving as hideouts for criminals.

“So, the lands and other related departments are working assiduously on undeveloped plots of land that are causing security problems for us,” he said.

The director also revealed that the FCT Minister has directed the acting Executive Secretary Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), to take over all under bridges in the FCT.

“The Minister had directed the acting FCDA boss to make a submission on what it will take to secure all under bridges in the territory.

“The idea is to deny miscreants access to such locations, where they used as their hideouts,” he said.

Meanwhile the Police Command in FCT said it had commenced daily raids of identified criminal black spots in Abuja.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said in a statement that the effort was to combat criminal activities and protect public and private infrastructure in the territory. NAN