FCTA Vows Continuous Demolition Of Criminal Hideouts In Abuja
•By Admin
ABUJA – THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the demolition of shanties, parks, and other illegal structures serving as hideouts for criminals across Abuja.
In a statement on Sunday, the FCT Minister’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said the exercise, which began last week, is part of a city-wide security intervention based on credible intelligence, and not an act of persecution against anyone.
Security agencies, including the NDLEA and the DSS, identified several high-risk areas across the city, notably the Banana Green Belt stretching from the Central Mosque towards Wuse Zones 3 and 1, as well as the Area 10 corridor. According to Olayinka, these locations have been linked to assaults and organized criminal activity, with offenders often escaping into the dense vegetation cover to evade arrest.
One of the facilities affected was a segment of Jazz and Blues Entertainment at Panorama Recreational Park, Wuse Zone 3, which the FCTA said contained shanties used for sustained criminal activity. Olayinka stressed that the demolition followed due process, including multiple contravention notices issued between October 2024 and June 2025, and a final eviction order on July 25, 2025, all of which were ignored.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the main facilities at the park, such as the football field, gymnasium, and viewing platforms, remain functional. The operation targeted only the segment used for illicit activities,” he clarified.
While acknowledging the military service of Air Commodore Balogun, the operator of the park, the FCTA maintained that national service is not a license to shield criminal activities or endanger public safety.
The demolition is part of a broader operation launched on August 6, 2025, by the Development Control Department, Security Services, and the Vehicle Inspection Office, which also involved impounding vehicles, seizing weapons, and removing illicit structures.
Olayinka said the clean-up will continue in the coming weeks, extending to other districts within the Federal Capital City, in line with the administration’s goal of ensuring a safe and secure Abuja for all residents.
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