The Mpape Residents Association has appealed to the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, to demolish all illegal structures and shanties to address security challenge in the area.
The Chairman of the association, retired Gen. John Agi, made the call when he led members of the association on a courtesy visit to the minister, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Agi told the minister that the proliferation of illegal structures was one of the factors causing traffic gridlock along the Mpape only major road corridor.
He lamented that moving in and out of Mpape had become very tiring and precarious for motorists and commuters.
According to him, life has become very unbearable for the residents, following persistent criminal activities in the area.
Agi said that intelligence reports had revealed that the wave of crimes in the community was alarmingly increasing, due to unchecked migration of many questionable characters who are indiscriminately building shanties and other illegal structures along the road shoulders.
He said that many suspected criminals pretended to engage in petty trading on the road, but resorts to crimes at night, adding that traders and mechanic workshops had taken over great parts of the roads.
Agi appealed to the FCT Administration to immediately carry out a comprehensive sanitation both along the road shoulders and other places in the community to get rid of the criminal elements, to guarantee safety and security of lives and properties.
The chairman, who said that demolition was urgently needed, called the minister to ensure the provision of basic amenities to the community.
Responding, the minister noted that his administration remained consistent in ensuring that Abuja Master Plan was preserved.
The minister added that the FCT administration was working assiduously to ensure quality infrastructures across all the districts.
Bello, therefore, directed the Director, Department of Security Services, Adamu Gwary, to immediately galvanized all relevant agencies to commence clean up of Mpape Road corridors and environs.
He noted that all illegal structures must be removed, adding that there was no hiding place for criminal elements and law breakers within the nation’s capital. (NAN)
