By Festus Fifen.

As the Federal Capital Territory Administration continues the cleaning exercise around some notable crime hotspot in the Nigeria Capital, Suspected drug peddlers and other criminal elements on Thursday abandoned their little Children and Wives, when the Administration’s Task Force on City Sanitation invaded their hideouts, located within undeveloped plots of land in the Central Business District of Abuja the Nigeria Capital.

Reports have it that for some time now, the invaded areas, both in Central Business District and Wuse Zone 3 are said to have remained dangerous black spots, from where all manner of  criminals hide and carry out heinous crimes within the city.

Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Ikharo Attah who led the operation alongside Heads of the Military, Police and Paramilitary components of the Task Force, said the criminal colonies have remained a source of concern to the Administration.
Attah vowed that while  the criminals continue to defy laws and orders, the Task Force will remain firm in its enforcement.

Attah who also noted that the criminal activities in the areas are thriving,  because the owners of the undeveloped plots of land have left it fallow for over two decades disclosed that the Minister having made passionate appeals to the owners of land to come and develop it, may have no other option than to revoke it.

In his words, ” What we are seeing here today is very bad for the city. We have cleared these places around September 2021, but the place has been rebuilt because owners of the undeveloped plots have left it fallow for about two to three decades now.

” FCT Minister has called upon them to come and develop these lands, but have not come. The FCTA may have no other option than to think of revoking the plots “.

Also speaking,  Deputy Director,  Enforcement,  Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Kaka Bello , lamented that government has been spending a lot of money mobilising human resources for the clean up of the undeveloped plots.

He noted that the Administration may invoke relevant provisions of Environmental laws, and compel owners of the plots of land to pay the cost of the continuous cleaning.

While many of the suspects escaped,  20 of the them were arrested and handed over to Wuse Divisional Police Headquarters.