By Sarah NEGEDU
The attacks on the FCT Task team on City Sanitation took a new turn, last Wednesday, when hoodlums attacked the team, injuring several police officers who were on a cleanup operation at Kuchingoro.
At least, five police officers of the taskforce were attacked with stones, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons leaving them with varying degrees of injuries.
A combined team of officers of Directorate of Road Traffic Services, DRTS, the police and other agencies were earlier attacked the taskforce at Lugbe Airport Road.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah, who was among the officers who escaped unhurt said the defiant Okada riders have continued to violate the traffic rules and regulations along the Airport road and other places where restrictions orders still subsist.
According to him, Lugbe-Airport road axis, is one of the restricted places where Okada riders are not allowed to operate, but have remained adamant in disobeying the laws.
However, 10 suspects were later arrested and handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.
The taskforce was in the community in continuation of its ongoing massive clean-up and the clampdown on Okada riders along the Lugbe-Airport road axis.
He said the hoodlums apparently were angered that the shanties and illegal structures housing them under electrical high tension installations were being removed.
Attah reaffirmed that the taskforce will not be deterred by the serial attacks by people who are opposed to the enforcement of orders and regulations needed to make Abuja a model City.
He said, while lawless people remain defiant to orders and policies of government, the enforcement team will also remain committed to its mandate.
“We came here to remove illegal structures that are painted Airport road in bad light, we were clearing the roadsides of traders, Okada riders, all of a sudden, some hoodlums appeared and started throwing stones.
“We were able to push them back, because we have to clean up the roads. Unfortunately, about 5 of our personnel sustainable various degrees of injury from the stones hurled at them.
“We also learnt that the leader of the mob was also hit by the stone of his own group, we have taken him to the hospital. We arrested about 10 persons suspected to have participated in the attack.
“We are not deterred. The Airport Road must be cleaned. So many of the structures were built under high tension wire, and we are pushing Okada riders and taxi drivers back to the community”, he added.
The Islamic cleric of Kuchingoro Community, Imam Usman Yahaya who was also caught up in the attack, has condemned the actions of the hoodlums, saying he supported the removal of the illegal structures and fight against criminalities in the area.
Yahaya who claimed he has lived in the community for over 20 years, noted that the actions of the hoodlums have brought a bad image to the place.
