We’re not criminals, demolition victims tell FCTA

Some victims of ongoing demolitions by the FCT Taskforce have appealed to the FCTA Administration to stop calling them criminals. The victims said most of them are living in such shanties because they could not secure decent jobs that will enable them to secure a decent accomodations. Our correspondent reports that the taskforce on Thursday […]

Some victims of ongoing demolitions by the FCT Taskforce have appealed to the FCTA Administration to stop calling them criminals.

The victims said most of them are living in such shanties because they could not secure decent jobs that will enable them to secure a decent accomodations.

Our correspondent reports that the taskforce on Thursday conducting a major clearance of what it called illegal shanties in Cadastra zone E27, Resettlement at Apo District of the FCT.

The taskforce had said majority of people living in such shanties are criminals.

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But David Mark, one of the victims, who spoke on behalf of the others, told journalists that they were not criminals. 

He said most of them had no no money to rent proper accommodation and called on the FCTA Administration to give them jobs.

Mark said: “We don’t have money to rent a house. We manage ourselves here. People come here to find workers, why are they pursuing us now?

“No We are not criminals. Criminals are not coming here. We have vigilantes here, we have our committee here. We don’t steal. My demand is employment, we need employment. Look at the youths living without hope. ‘’

Earlier, the Director of the FCT  Department of Development Control , Mukhtar Galadima, had refuted the allegations in the media and the common parlance that the demolition of illegal shanties in the nation’s capital is aimed at  displacing poor residents to please the rich.

The Director who said the operation was part of a broader city sanitation and security initiative to rid hoodlums and criminals of their hibernating places, stated that the administration got credible information that some people were even killed around the area

Galadima said, “Well, people must complain. People must say something about the exercise. But our goal is to rid the city of criminal elements in order to enhance the security of the FCT.

 “This is part of the continuation of the city sanitation and exercise to rid the city of the criminal elements. So this place has been identified as one of the notorious dark spots. I recall also efforts were made in the past, but this time around we came in to do a total clearance of the place.’:

“My advice is for them to go and look for a decent accommodation within the resettlement town or somewhere else within the federal capital city because this place health-wise, is not even advisable for them to remain.