Department of Development Control, DDC, of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, had revisited Lungu village in Kafe District, Abuja, pulling down remaining illegal structures amid pockets of outrage and despair by the villagers.
Accompanied by a strong joint team of security personnel, DDC officials stormed the village located near Gwarimpa Estate, just few metres away from the Kubwa/Zuba Expressway, with a bulldozer and descended heavily on structures belonging to non-natives, including some bearing the inscription ‘Gbagyi house’ in the site.
The officials dismantled completed and uncompleted buildings, including shanties worth millions of naira, purportedly developed by people who had encroached on a plot allocated to Holyfield Estate Developers, including roadside kiosks and other structures being used for business activities in the area.
This is coming on the heels of heated public outcry that greeted the initial attempt by the DDC to demolish the structures, in order to hand over the encroached plot to Holyfield Estate Developers who legitimately own the land, having obtained all necessary documentations.
Recall that the inconclusive exercise embarked upon in the village had sparked violent protests, leading to a blockade of the busy Zuba-Kubwa Expressway for several hours, resulting in damage of public facilities.
The incident followed a widespread rumour of the death of a mother and her child during the exercise in the area, which was later discovered to be false.
Following the return of the DDC officials to complete the exercise, some residents have expressed shock and anguish over the destruction of their structures in the site, saying they were caught unawares by the action.
While some of the affected persons complained that they were not given notice before the demolition, others made passionate appeals to the government for provision of an alternative land to enable them to resettle their families.
Nigerian Pilot gathered that in a bid to find a more peaceful way of carrying out the exercise, top management of FCTA visited the area on Sunday to engage the people in a dialogue, thus leading to peaceful resumption of the demotion exercise.
For his part, the chief of Lungu, Ezekiel Sanya Zakka confirmed that prior to the resumption of the demolition exercise, they and FCTA officials held a meeting with their member in the House of Representatives and chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC.