FCTA issues 7-day demolition notice to traders, others in Apo

The Nigerian Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation has issued a seven-day demolition notice to traders and artisans in and around Akpmajenya, a busy indigenous settlement in Apo community.

In particular, traders on the alignment of Oladipo Diya junction connecting Apo roundabouts and Apo Legislative Quarters have been asked to leave the area on or before the expiration of the ultimatum.

Issuing the ultimatum on Tuesday, Chairman of the Task Force, Ikharo Attah, reiterated that all the commercial traders around Oladipo Diya junction are affected because trading there is not allowed.

Attah stated that illegal settlements along the road obstructing the road construction and distorting the city’s master plan will not be spared, but that due diligence will be followed.

Also speaking, a Deputy Director in the FCT Department of Resettlement and Compensation, Nasiru Suleiman disclosed that Akpmajenya is one of the indigenous communities within the Federal Capital City (FCC) that are to be relocated to appropriate resettlement sites.

Suleiman added that the Apo settlement constituting a nuisance by the road corridor will be demolished at due time, but those trading there have been given a 7-day notice of demolition.

Suleiman noted that the affected villagers have been properly compensated and resettled, adding that the processes of removing all the illegal structures were ongoing.

“All the people living in this village have been resettled. We have given them 135 houses and all we supposed to give have been given. We served them notice since January.

“We have come to give them the last notice so that they will move out. They have to give way because they are disturbing the construction of the road interchange.

“Hopefully, we are going to remove all the commercial plots by next week. We have given them one week by which they are supposed to go out of this place.

“So, after one week we will also come with an arrangement on how the whole village will be moved out of this place,” Suleiman said. (VON)