Henceforth, the FCT Administration will not accept any breakdown of law and order in the name of unlawful demonstration in the Federal Capital Territory.
The FCT Minister, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, gave this warning in an emergency meeting on Tuesday with Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council; some graded chiefs as well as local chiefs in his office.
It would be recalled that some native women staged a demonstration over alleged planned removal of shanties and illegal structures from villages along the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Expressway (Airport Road) on Monday.
The Minister unequivocally said that his Administration has always been carrying the natives along in all the FCT Administration’s policies and programmes and therefore would not fold its arms for any group to take the laws into their hands.
His words: “We have tried to deepen community relation because Abuja is a national project but disregard for law and order is unacceptable”.
As Mohammed frowned at use of women who are vulnerable in our society for such illegal demonstration, he emphasized that the government would hold the local chiefs responsible for any breakdown of law and order in future.
“Sending our women on the street to demonstrate is mischievous and regrettable. You should not allow yourselves to be used against the government,” the Minister added.
Mohammed insisted that no group of persons could prevent any arm of government from carrying out its statutory duties.
According to him, the FCT Administration has records of all the natives as well as their buildings, which he stressed, would not be removed until the government has adequately compensated and resettled them.
He however warned that any structure outside the already enumerated ones might not be spared, as they constitute security risk.
The Minister further warned the Traditional Rulers and village heads to desist from illegally selling plots of land in their domains because most of these structures being demolished by the FCT Department Control fall in this class.
Mohammed reiterated that the government would not abdicate its responsibility of ensuring a well-planned development in tune with the Abuja Master Plan.
He assured that the FCT Administration would not demolish any structure of the original inhabitants in as much as they are on the database of FCT Administration and would only be removed when they are adequately compensated and appropriately resettled.
Responding, the Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Mr. Micah Jiba apologized over the inappropriate action of the women involved in the unprovoked demonstration and promised that it would not be repeated again.
The Chief of Garki, Usman Nga Kupi regretted that the demonstration took place and assured that it would not be allowed to happen again.
Philip Tanimu Aduda, a Senator and a member of House of Representative representing Abuja south constituency, Isah Ega Dobi, as well as many other chiefs also attended the emergency meeting.
