FCTA Threatens to Sue Property Owners Who Allow Shanties in Their Neighborhood 

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has threatened to sue property owners who allow containers and shanties in front or attached to their fence.

The Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, issued the warning Wednesday during the demolition of illegal structures in  the Abuja suburbs of Kubwa and Dutse.

“Let us ensure the streets are free. We will keep coming to remove the shanties. And if they refuse to stop we will serve them abatement notice and  take them to court. It is unacceptable that you have already rented your house and you are not satisfied and start renting the front of your house for batchers, containers and shanties,” Attah said.

He said the authority would not allow  planned neighborhoods to be littered with shanties and containers.

He also excoriated the people that were building under high tension wires, describing such practice as hazardous and dangerous to their health in the event of accident.

“We came to Dutse and Kubwa to remove shanties. It is really worrisome that you see a very beautiful neighborhood and you just find batchers and containers on the streets and the FCTA is really worried about this, we want to warn residents not to encourage illegality on their fence and gates, it harbours criminals,” Attah said. 

He advised residents to discourage this practice and not allow the containers to become safe haven for criminals. 

He also described the habit of building under high tension wires as unspeakable saying: “You just go under you build beer parlour, build whatever, the radiation alone is hazardous to your health, the risk factor alone, should there be any accident is frightening, because it is outright death.  We have all sorts of industries right under high tension wire. People who don’t know will think we are wicked but one-day they will thank us because we are saving their lives”

The Secretary of FCTA Command and Control Unit, Peter Olumuji, said slums breeds criminality in the neighborhood.

He said police criminal record shows that most of crimes in the neighborhood are committed by the urchins from knocked down communities who are with known addresses.