Amid the incessant kidnappings in Abuja, officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have begun profiling areas worst hit by kidnappers.
Director, Department of Development Control Federal Capital Territory Administration, Mukhtar Galadima who led the team, said the exercise was to ascertain causes of kidnappings and solutions.
At the commencement of the profiling at Sagwari Layout Estate, Dutse in Bwari Area Council, where kidnappers abducted some residents recently, Galadima said the officials with support of security personnel will identify buildings without approval and other illegal activities in the area.
According to him, the area was surrounded by structures built without the consent of development control aiding criminals to operate.
Galadima who was represented by the deputy director, monitoring and enforcement, Hassan Ogbole, blamed the poor planning on the local chief with his men.
He said after profiling, the department will recommend necessary measures that will curb the activities of criminals.
“The exercise is a fact-finding mission and part of the department’s periodic monitoring of development, what we came to realise recently is the growing chain of illegal developments within the ecologically sensitive zone to lower Usuman dam, which is supposed to be a secured side.
“Activities of illegal developers are a threat to the FCT Administration and the dam. On several occasions we have taken steps to carry out enforcement but unabated. We attribute this to collaboration between developers and the local chief, the chief has records of every person. The place is not accessible, it’s not buildable, and if you go up you can see underage children on top of the rocks.
“The government will not condole this, in physical planning there are places that we reserve, these are reservations. So, we will put up our report and recommendations to the appropriate quarters and see what could be done.
The secretary, command and control, Security Department FCTA, Dr Peter Olumuji said the lapses were promoted by illegal activities being promoted by the locals.
Olumuji said, “What we have seen here shows the level of insensitivity from the village chief, most of the people we interacted with said they got the lands from the village chief, that the man never cares about the safety of lives and property within the area.
“This mountain site that we visited, is where some persons were kidnapped, we have accessed the mountain site, based on the position of development control, is against the planning template.
“The honourable minister had assured Abuja, residents of their safety, also as a fact-finding mission and confidence building that the administration is not leaving them, we have checked and we will be sure that their security is certain.
“People must also stop buying land from village chiefs, they don’t have the power in FCT to sell land, they are only interested in their monetary gain and not the safety”.
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