ABUJA: Wike To Demolish Abandoned Uncompleted Buildings Over Rising Insecurity

– Says Illegal Motor Parks Will Be Shut Down

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says abandoned, uncompleted buildings serve as dens of criminals who perpetrate different illegal activities in the federal capital.

Consequently, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the FCT, said the FCTA would “bring down” such buildings and shut down illegal motor parks operating within Abuja, the capital city, in response to rising cases of ‘one-chance’ robberies in the city.

The minister made this known during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

THE WHISTLER, in August 2021, reported that there were about 460 abandoned or uncompleted buildings in the Federal Capital Territory, with security experts warning that such buildings could be serving as havens for terrorists and kidnappers, among others.

In recent weeks, Abuja has witnessed a surge in ‘one-chance’ robberies and kidnapping cases, which have instilled fear in residents as criminals disguise themselves as commercial vehicle operators to rob unsuspecting residents.

Speaking on the measures taken by the FCTA to ensure the safety of lives and properties in the nation’s capital, Wike disclosed that a joint task force targeting cross-border crimes had been established to combat the city’s insecurity problem.

The former governor of Rivers State attributed the rise in criminal activities within the capital city to illegal motor parks and uncompleted buildings being used as hideouts by criminals.

“We’re getting a lot of reports about kidnappings here, about one-chance there. In most cases, we don’t even let the public know what has been done. I can tell you that the security agencies have done quite a lot. If not, by now, the FCT would have been a different thing,” he said.

The minister further emphasized, “One of the areas we identified is that the FCT is at the centre—we have Niger State, we have Kogi State, we have Nasarawa State, and we have Kaduna State. And if you check these four states, these four states are states that (experience) from time to time, banditry and kidnapping.

“And we discovered that most of the areas where they (criminals) stay are shanties and uncompleted buildings, and that is why we say we cannot allow these uncompleted buildings where criminals have made their place of abode. Bring down all these uncompleted buildings that have turned into shanties, and they will have nowhere to hide.”

“Just last week, we set up a task force on those states that we have borders with and one chance. Joint security task forces, including the SSS, the police, the army, and the navy, have identified the way they will operate.

“To tell you that we are concerned, that is why we have to set up this joint task force for one-chance and border control.

“Again, you see a lot of illegal motor parks. When we come up with a policy that we can’t allow these illegal motor parks, people will come up to say the economy is hard, things are tough but nobody wants to look at it from the security implication. We are also planning to shut down some of these illegal motor parks.”