The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished more than 1,000 illegal shanties and temporary structures in Abuja as part of an ongoing citywide sanitation exercise aimed at restoring order and improving security.
The clearance, carried out on Monday by the FCTA’s joint task force, targeted a two-kilometer stretch of the Ring Road 3 corridor in Karsana, near the Bunkoro District in Gwarimpa.
Muktar Galadima, Director of Development Control, said the exercise was designed to remove squatters and “people of questionable character” while sparing homes belonging to indigenous residents.
“Today’s exercise is carried out along the proposed Ring Road 3 corridor at the intersection of N16 and RR3, where we have the Map Global Estate,” Galadima explained. “You can see the shanties, squatters, and people of questionable character. This is part of our citywide sanitation exercise to enhance security, and we are here today to continue as planned.”
According to him, most of the structures were makeshift shacks built illegally along the road corridor. “So far, we have cleared more than 1,000 structures, and we are about to continue because the work is enormous. The stretch of the road is as long as two kilometers, all consisting of shacks and shanties,” Galadima added.
The clearance, he noted, will continue in partnership with the Department of Resettlement to identify and safeguard genuine properties belonging to indigenous communities.
Peter Olumuji, Director of the Command and Control Unit, who represented the FCT’s Director of Security, Adamu Gwary, emphasized that the demolition underscores the link between development control and security enforcement. He added that no arrests were made during the operation.
The exercise comes amid growing concerns about illegal settlements in Abuja, with authorities warning that such shanties often pose environmental hazards and security risks. The FCTA has stepped up demolition activities in several districts of the capital in recent months as part of efforts to maintain Abuja’s master plan.