By Sarah NEGEDU
The clean-up exercise at the Zuba axis of Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT turned chaotic when hoodlums and commercial transporters attacked personnel of the FCTA and a police inspector assigned to carry out the assignment, last Wednesday.
Officials drawn from the Department of Development Control, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, and the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, were in the area to clear out illegal parks and shanties when they were viciously attacked leaving seven of them seriously injured.
Problem ensued when the DTRS officials started impounding vehicles immediately after the demolition of the park at the Zuba interchange.
This, got the commercial drivers angry as they started throwing stones to disrupt the exercise.
Security agents attached to the team had to resort to firing tear gas into the air to disperse the hoodlums who equally attacked and injured innocent motorists.
A member of the task force from the DTRS who spoke under the condition of anonymity blamed the attack on the limited number of security personnel on their entourage.
In his words, “The security personnel we went with was not enough. Zuba is a dangerous place when it comes to clean-up.
“We only demolished the park but couldn’t proceed to other locations. Even from the office we expected it but the “Ogas” just pushed us into danger. We hope to return back with a stronger force another day.”
However, a leader of the transporters, Jubrin Kyari, insisted that the park was duly allocated to them by FCTA transport secretariat and they have document to back the claims.
He accused the FCTA of not giving them alternative palace before removing them from the roads.
According to him, “We have document to this effect, but without any revocation order the minister came and demolish it.
“The FCTA has finally push all transporters to the main road in Zuba which certainly will cause heavy traffic gridlock.
“The major park loading vehicles to the north has been demolished while others as we gathered, will also be demolished soon.
“People must travel to other states and Zuba is a transit point especially to the northern part of the country. As it is now, we have no choice but to keep loading on the road until government provides an alternative for us,” he said.
