Kubwa Inferno: FCTA dismantles about 100 illegal shops in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) ministerial committee on city sanitation, on Wednesday demolished about 100 illegal shops in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.

This is coming less than a week after 7 persons were burnt to death by a kerosine explosion in Kubwa village, in Bwari area council of Abuja. The demolition exercise, carried around Kubwa village market, was said to have been initiated to correct contraventions that have constituted environmental breaches leading to loss of lives.

Chairman of the committee, Ikharo Attah said he had the backing of FCT Ministers, both Malam Muhammad Bello and Dr Ramatu to carry out the clean-up exercise, to prevent further life and safety threatening incidents.

Attah noted that even the FCT Commissioner of Police, Sunday Babaji has reiterated commitment to providing security backup for every operation targeted at tackling illegalities and criminalities within the nation’s capital.

Attah who expressed dismay that residents and traders have continued to violate developmental blueprint, leading to deaths of innocent people, also said, that the illegal shops were built directly under electricity high tension installations, while many were used to block access roads, making it difficult for rescue operations, in an event of a fire emergency.

According to him, occupiers of these illegal shops had been put on notice for a very long time now, as many of their kiosks and illegal extension structures were removed.

He said, “We have always been on this road axis for the past three years, trying to clean it up and we have always had intense problems. We have cleared the road to the market which was blocked for about six years.

“But in the aftermath of the fire incident wherein about 7 persons lost their lives, we had no option than to do what we believe is the right thing. We have given notices for people to quit the illegal shops.

“Even the very shop where the explosion happened, we had removed that tank. We will remove all the illegal shops because the community had been blocked.”

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Kubwa Inferno: FCTA dismantles about 100 illegal shops in Abuja. Kubwa Inferno: FCTA dismantles about 100 illegal shops in Abuja.