The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday carried out a major city sanitation operation, clearing illegal occupants and traders from around UTC in Area 10, Abuja, as part of efforts to enforce urban order and combat crime.
Mr. Mukhtar Galadima, Director of Development Control and head of the operation, said the exercise was undertaken on the directive of the FCT Security Committee to restore sanity and rid the city of criminal hideouts.
“UTC is one of the areas identified as dark spots, harbouring criminal elements,” Galadima explained. “We also evacuated a large pile of refuse that posed serious health risks. As part of city sanitation, we cleared that site before moving to the main area where hoodlums were concentrated. What we found here is disturbing and alarming — something serious must be done.”
Galadima revealed that the reclaimed space is a designated transitway corridor under the Abuja Master Plan, linking UTC to the Abuja Municipal Area Council Secretariat, the Ministry of Defence, and Wuse Zone 3. Although not yet developed, the corridor is being protected from encroachment by land grabbers.
Following the clearance, the FCT Security Committee has directed that the area be fenced and used only for city-friendly purposes, particularly transportation, to prevent reoccupation by illegal settlers.
Mr. Adamu Gwary, Director of Security Services, FCTA, represented by the Secretary, Command and Control, Dr. Peter Olumuji, said the operation targeted criminal hideouts used to launch attacks on residents. He noted that crime rates have already dropped in areas cleared since the exercise began a week ago.
According to him, the city sanitation drive is running alongside “Operation Sweep Abuja,” which has so far led to the arrest of several suspects and the demolition of numerous shanties.
