The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued another directive on unused lands within Abuja city.
The FCT Department of Development Control said the administration will recover and convert some of the open spaces to Parks and Recreation Centers to curb the rate of crimes being perpetuated in the neighbourhoods.
This, according to the unit, is in a bid to reclaim spaces not allocated to people but occupied by hoodlums and other criminal elements threatening the peace of residents in the city.
Director Development Control Department, Mukhtar Galadima, disclosed this while addressing journalists after a clean up exercise in Katampe extension.
Galadima said that similar measures will be replicated in other areas where the FCTA recently demolished illegal structures.
Galadima, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Monitoring and Enforcement of the department, Hassan Ogbole, lamented that the hoodlums constantly returned to the area despite being cleared severally.
“We have done this in several locations and we are here in Katampe extension. This is a high tension line where any kind of activity is not supposed to be going on around it but unfortunately, this is the fourth time the task team will be here,” he said.
“Whenever we remove them, they come back. We know they are being exploited by people within themselves and outside, but we are investigating thoroughly to bring those involved to law.
“We will keep doing this. We can’t leave an ungoverned space and that’s why we are working on governance now. We are working in partnership with the residence association of Katampe Extension as well as the Parks and Recreation Department.
Sooner or later we will get them to take proper occupation of this place so that these people will not come back. Before then we will keep coming here to make sure they don’t come back.”
The Assistant Director in charge of Maintenance, Parks and Recreation Department, Isa Abdulmalik, disclosed that the measure will be replicated in ungoverned spaces in Kabusa, Gaduwa, Guzape, Apo Dutse, and others.
He said: “We are going to fence this place, put a recreational facility which will be between us and the residents here to serve as a neighborhood park, so that the people here can make use of the facility.
“With this, I think we will curb most of the illegal activities and the taking over of this place by hoodlums in the past. So I believe when we do that the neighborhood and the people around will enjoy the facility.
“There are so many other places within this city so far that we have recovered and created parks there. Some of these areas are Kabusa, Gaduwa, Guzape, Apo Dutse, and others.”
