It an unpleasant Wednesday morning for residents of Utako village in Abuja as officials from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) stormed the settlement with bulldozers and armed officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The residents who knew what the business of the officials was, were seen making last-minute moves to salvage their belongings on the sounds and sights of the men and their machinery.

Children also seen sitting beside a few of their properties had to watch over their belongings as their parents raced to retrieve more items before they got destroyed by the claws of the bulldozer.

Demolition Will Stop Land Racketeering

The demolition, according to the Director, FCTA Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, will put an end to land racketeering in the FCT.

Mr Galadima who spoke to journalists stressed that there was a need to correct all infractions and abuses of the Abuja Master Plan.

“The FCTA has already made it clear that the actions and activities of land racketeers cannot and will never be condoned.

“That is why we are removing all those illegal developments,” he said.

He, however, reiterated the administration’s stand to rid the nation’s capital of illegal structures, saying, the FCTA would not condone land racketeering and grabbing.

Nowhere To Go

Most of the residents, who eke out their living in the nation’s capital, were seen making calls in efforts to find an alternative shelter after the Wednesday demolition.

The demolition affected shops and houses that were already marked by the government agencies.

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