The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has vowed to intensify the demolition of illegal shanties and settlements across Abuja, citing their role as criminal hideouts and obstacles to critical developmental projects.
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, stressing that the ongoing crackdown on criminal enclaves will not relent.
“The ongoing onslaught on criminal hideouts in Abuja will continue,” Olayinka said, noting that shanties around Durumi District and Area 1 in Garki have become notorious for criminal activities.
According to the FCTA, the makeshift settlements in these areas now serve as operational bases for kidnappers, carjackers, drug peddlers, and one-chance operators. “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,” the statement added.
In his efforts to restore safety and order, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike inaugurated a Stakeholders’ Committee comprising heads of security agencies, FCTA officials, Civil Society Organisations, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The statement recalled that about three months ago, security agencies raided the Area 1–Durumi axis, arresting over 120 suspects, including drug dealers, carjackers, and armed robbers. During the operation, seven stolen vehicles, 79 motorcycles, and 155 ATM cards—snatched from victims of one-chance operators—were recovered.
Although parts of the shanties were cleared during that exercise, Olayinka noted that the illegal structures have resurfaced. “Today, the shanties are back and the criminals have regrouped, making the area uninhabitable for law-abiding Nigerians,” he said.
The FCTA also expressed concern that the settlements, some of which sit on plots allocated more than 20 years ago, have prevented land allottees and even government agencies from developing their properties.
Consequently, Olayinka confirmed that clearance of shanties within the Abuja city centre is already underway. “Those in Area 1, Durumi will be cleared very soon,” he assured.
