The Sakaruyi of Karu in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the FCT, Emmanuel Yepwi, on Sunday, decried the increasing rate of illegal structures in his domain.
The traditional leader stated this when the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT Minister, Mr Ikharo Attah, paid him a courtesy call at his palace in Karu, Abuja.
Yepwi appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Ministerial Committee on city sanitation to urgently remove the illegal structures and shanties in his domain.
He said it had been discovered that the illegalities was being perpetrated by some criminal elements, who lived in makeshift shanties and other illegal structures in the community.
Yepwi, who expressed worry over the situation, said the suspected law breakers initially came in as law abiding citizens to the community, but over time revealed their real characters, by disregarding procedures and extant laws.
He noted that he had been mobilising the powers within his constitutional reach to fight the illegalities being perpetrated by these elements, but now needed government’s support to defeat them and restore sanity to his domain.
He specifically noted with dismay that some of the people, who disguised themselves as traders at Karu market, had taken took over the roadsides and were causing unbearable traffic snarls and inevitable disaster.
Yepwi urged the Ministerial Committee on city sanitation to quickly intervene by removing all illegal structures in Karu, one of the largest satellite towns in the FCT.
” Karu is a major satellite town sitting on major road corridors in the FCT. Karu links to Orozo and up to karshi. It should be the best. Sadly, most people choose to sell on the road and cause traffic problems.
” I want to appeal to the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello to please help us fully clear Karu of some illegal structures and batchers that were not good for our community
” Tell the minister we support him fully for whatever he wants to do to remove all these traders from the roads. We have been warning them to leave but they refused to listen.
Responding, Attah said the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello had expressed similar worry over the illegalities in the Karu satellite town and would work in synergy with all stakeholders to address them.
He also disclosed that the visit to the Sakaruyi’s Palace was motivated by the myriad of complaints that had continued to trickle in from residents living in the Karu area.
Attah added that more worrisome was a situation where some traders have arrogantly abandoned the empty spaces in the Karu market, and opted to sell by the roadsides, not minding the traffic problems created by their actions.
” It is a pathetic scene at the entry point into the Karu model market as traders now occupy the entire road allowing only one car to pass at a time.
” Those selling fresh catfish and vegetables now occupy the better part of the road.”
Also, the Head, Department of Works, AMAC, Mr Andrew Gaza, hailed the plans of the FCT administration to rid the area of illegalities.
” We at AMAC have plans to clear areas in and around the market. Now that the FCT Administration is coming in we support it fully. All these illegality must stop”.
” If you look inside the market, you will see that AMAC was the first to mark the worrisome illegal structures for demolition. They have completely and badly changed the approved plan for the market.”
