FCTA VOWS TO DEMOLISH ALL CRIMINAL HIDEOUTS, FREE UP LAND FOR DEVELOPMENT
By: Wisdom Acka
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced a renewed crackdown on illegal shanties across the Territory, targeting areas notorious for harboring criminals and obstructing developmental projects.
The move follows growing concerns over rising crime rates in Districts like Durumi and Area 1, Garki, among others, where “high-level criminal activities such as robbery, carjacking, drug peddling, and other heinous crimes with its attendant security implications to law-abiding FCT residents cannot be allowed to continue.”
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and social media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, 18th August 2025.
He revealed that the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has set up a high-powered Stakeholders Committee, comprising security agencies, civil society groups, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), to reclaim the city from criminal elements.
The statement reads in part: “These shanties are not just eyesores; they’re operational bases for heinous crimes, including drug peddling and carjacking, which threaten the safety of residents.
“Recent security operations in Durumi, Area 1, led to the arrest of over 120 suspects and the recovery of stolen vehicles, motorcycles, and ATM cards snatched from victims.
“Despite a partial clearance three months ago, criminal activities have resurged, with illegal settlers rebuilding shanties on lands allocated decades ago.
“These encroachments have denied rightful allottees, including government agencies, access to their properties.”
He also revealed that the FCT Administration has already begun clearing shanties in the City Centre, and would increase the tempo, with Durumi slated as the next target.
“We will not tolerate criminality stifling development or endangering lives,” the statement emphasized, assuring residents of sustained operations until Abuja is fully sanitized.
