By Sarah NEGEDU
Federal Capital Territory Administrarion has vowed to deal with any individual or group of persons found to be obstructing work at the sites of public interest projects across the territory.
Director, Development Control, FCTA, Muktar Galadima, made the pledge when he led a team to the Shehu Shagari road in Gwarinpa District, where it was reported that miscreants had attacked workers of CBC Global handling the ongoing N16 aeteria road project in the area last week.
He said the administration would provide adequate security for contractors and workers handling different road projects, to ensure completion in record time.
The taskforce team comprising personnel of different security agencies, condoned the area combing through cashew trees by the road side which housed suspected criminals.
Galadima, during the exercise explained that the operation is in line with the directive of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, who had mandated that all necessary security provision should be made available for the protection of contractors executing different projects in the territory.
According to him, “Our job on the project site is to make sure that some illegal structures are not preventing the work. So we have done the needful by removing the illegal structures and shanties. So if there is any reaction or protest by any other person, there are security agency that are responsible to take care of that.
“The issue of cashew planting has to do with the indigenous communities, trying to up the value of their properties and crops. But several times, we found out that these cashew trees provide a safe haven for many people of the underworld.
“As a result, we have cause to remove a stretch of about two to three kilometers of cashew trees in Mabushi district recently, because we found out that it’s a hideout of criminals and men of underworld.
On his part, the Secretary, FCT Command and Control Centre, Peter Olumuji disclosed that the administration got the report that as soon as the company, CBC Global mobilised to site in the area Friday last week, they were attacked by some hoodlums who not only destroyed some of their equipments but also injured some staff members.
“It is the responsibility of the law enforcement to maitain law and order. So when they reported accordingly to the administration, we had to mobilize today to give them adequate cover so that they can continue this good work the minister of the FCT is doing for the benefit of every resident of the FCT.
“Infact we thought we would be able to apprehend one or two of them, but what we gathered here from our intelligence unit is that those who caused that mayhem have all disappeared because the people here are protecting the good work of the administration. They told them they cannot harbor such people in their midst, so they had to chase them away before we even got here and the work has been going on peacefully throughout today.
On how the FCTA intends to support the contractor after the taskforce team must have left the area, Olumuji said, “we will do that through the FCT police commissioner who has been duly informed. He is going to deploy a team of police men that will be attached to them, for them to be able to break even in what they are doing, because the taskforce team cannot be here forever. We are mobile in nature, but those that will be deployed will come and complement, together with those that are already on-ground here”.
The Project Manager, CBC Global, Engr. Titus Sende, expressed appreciation to the FCT Administration for its prompt response to the unfortunate incident, calling for reinforcement of more security personnel to the area.
