FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY ADMINISTRATION AUTHORITIES RAID ABUJA BUREAU DE CHANGE HEADQUARTERS, REMOVING IMPROVISED STRUCTURES
The City Management Team of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has dismantled makeshift structures at the Bureau De Change (BDC) headquarters in the Zone 4 area of Abuja.
Responding to journalists’ inquiries after the clearance operation, which included the removal of shanties, temporary shops, and trees, Mukhtar Galadima, the leader of the team and Director of the Department of Development Control, stated that these shanties had become hiding places for suspected criminals in the city center.
Galadima emphasized that the area had been marked by illicit activities posing a security threat, and it was imperative not to allow such conditions to persist. Describing the area as unsightly, he explained that the directive to carry out the exercise aimed to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the location.
He clarified that BDC operators are expected to conduct their business in designated and licensed areas rather than under trees and in bushes, as observed in Zone 4. Galadima underscored that the team’s primary concern was to ensure the safety and security of Abuja residents, emphasizing that the operation was not directed against BDC operators.
When asked about the prolonged lack of development in the area, he revealed that the place had been entangled in legal disputes until a court decision was reached.
Galadima stated, “Our cleanup exercise here is based on a directive to maintain order. The place is in a sorry situation in terms of aesthetics; it serves as hideouts for criminals and miscreants, that is why we have to come and clear everything. BDC operators are expected to operate from designated and licensed areas, they are not supposed to operate under trees and in bushes, so that is why we have to clear the place. The place is still under litigation but you see, security is paramount so also safety and cleanliness, 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.
Hussein Yahaya; From the News Source: DailyTrust
