There was gnashing of teeth as shop owners watched helplessly today as their means of livelihood were leveled to the ground by rampaging bulldozers.
Over a thousand illegal structures were demolished at the area popularlyknown as ‘Maraba Market’ along Abuja-Keffi road by the Nassarawa State Urban Development Board, NUDB.
Nassarawa State Governor, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura had warned residents of the impending demolition when he visited Nasarawa State Urban Development Board, Karu Local Government and the Nasarawa Geographic Information System, NAGIS, to intensify plans on new development control policies in the state.
The governor said that the exercise was to bring some sanity to traffic and social life in the area which is close to Abuja, the federal capital city, FCT. Many civil servants and others who work in the FCT live in the now overcrowded Mararaba axis.
There were mixed reactions from residents of Aso Area of the Market While some commended the state government on the action as it will reduce traffic congestion in the area some decry the action as being callous.
One of the shop owners, Akpan Joseph said that he just renewed his rent for one shop and newly bought another with N120,000.00 last week and lamented that he has lost all in the demolition.
He equally complained that so – called landlords that allocated the place to him are nowhere to be found for compensation.
However, another trader, James Audu, confirmed that series of campaigns on demolition had been carried out even since last year on the media and in the market. He urged the government to open the Karu International Market which he said was built more than 10 years but totally abandoned and left to waste.
The exercise was devoid of any incident as several security operatives were at hand to ensure the smooth execution of the demolition.
Source: ICIR
