City management team of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished shanties at the Bureau De Change (BDC) headquarters in Zone 4 area of Abuja.
Fielding questions from journalists after clearing of the shanties, leader of the team and director, Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, said shanties serve as hideout for suspected criminals in the city centre.
He said the area is full of illegal activities that have become threat to security and must not be allowed to remain.
Galadima who described the area as an eyesore, said the exercise which is based on directive will help to bring out the esthetic nature of the place.
He said BDC operators are expected to operate from designated and licenced areas and not under trees and bushes as being experienced in zone 4.
He stated further that the concern of the team was to ensure safety and security of Abuja residents, which he said the operation has nothing to do with fight against BDC operators.
Asked on why the area has not been developed for a long time, he said the place was under litigation.
He said: “our clean up exercise here is based on directive for us to keep sanity.
“The place is a sorry situation in terms of esthetic, it serves as a hideout for criminals and miscreants and that is why we have to come and clear everything.
“BDC operators are expected to operate from designated and licenced areas, they are not supposed to operate under trees and in bushes. So, that is why we have cleared the place.
“The place is still under litigation but security is paramount.
So also safety and cleanliness and we have to look at these parameters very well, not forgetting that the site is under litigation. But we have to provide safety and security for Abuja residents.”