In continuation of its resolve to reclaim encroached plots in the Federal Capital City, the FCT Administration, recently removed hundreds of illegal structures and extensions around Gishiri village in Katampe District.
The community with close proximity to Maitama District has gradually grown into a massive slum where criminal elements hibernate prompting the FCTA to embark on extensive demolition of the area earlier in May.
According to the Development Control Department of the FCTA, the removal of illegal structures in Gishiri, will encourage the actual land owners to take possession of their properties.
Officials of the department of the FCTA, accompanied by joint security personnel stormed the village with bulldozers, and pulled down the structures illegally erected on peoples plots and right of ways.
Our correspondent gathered that some of the structures were used for residential and commercial, educational and even religious purposes.
Explaining the exercise, the District Monitor of Katampe and Mabushi Districts of the FCT, Town Planner Samson Atureta, said it has been ongoing as the extensions are actually on peoples legally allocated plots in the area.
He said, “There are so many illegal developments and the village extensions, that’s why we had to clear them, because these extensions are actually on people’s legally allocated plots.
“So, what we are doing here is to ensure that all those developments that are village extensions are removed, even as we are trying to be careful not to tamper with the houses where indigenes are living in.
“Government might take time, because of procedures, eventually they will get there. So, today is one of those days that they are here. We can’t help it as these extensions have to go, so as to allow the legal owners take possession of ideally allocated plots.”
On whether the people were duly notified prior to the exercise, he said, “Yes, as the District Monitor, I have gotten approval to remove Gishiri more than a year ago, but we were just waiting for the logistics. And we finally got greenlight that we are going to do it, I met the Director, Development Control that he should permit me to give them another notice. So we just gave final notice, a week before we really started the removal exercise.”
Commenting on the number of structures removed so far, he said: “They are in hundreds, as we can’t really give the actual number now, even though our site officials are working on it, so that we will be able to give proper numbering of houses we have removed. We are counting as we remove them, but I dare say that we have removed hundreds if not a thousand.
“We started about a month or two ago, but because we didn’t have logistics including the security backing, so we have to really arrange for them to come. This is the fourth them we are coming here for the exercise.”
One of the affected persons, Mama Blessing, who runs a drinking spot and resides in the area, laments that: “Even though we know that they will come and do something like this, at least they would have given us enough time to leave and relocate to another place.
