Teddy Oscar, Abuja
The recent killing of some suspected Boko Haram members in an uncompleted building near the legislative quarters at Apo, has prompted a decision by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to embark on a demolition of all illegal and uncompleted buildings in the nation’s capital city.
The Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, who dropped the hint when the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Safety and National Security visited his office on oversight function, disclosed that 100,000 illegal buildings and 435 uncompleted houses have so far been identified in the FCT.
Mohammed said that his administration would no longer condone the delays by developers in completing their buildings, after being allocated plots of land.
“Very soon, we will take a decisive action on uncompleted buildings in the FCT. We will ensure that all buildings that have exceeded the two-year period approved for building will be demolished.
“If we cannot demolish, we will make it a police post. This time around, we will take a definite action,” he said.
He blamed the Department of Development Control (DDC) on its failure to carry out its mandate on frivolous court injunctions obtained by developers.
“We have between 3,000 and 5,000 double allocations that exist in the capital territory due to revocation and re-allocation of plots as a result of court injunction,” he added, while soliciting the support of the National Assembly to address the challenge of illegal structures in the territory.
Earlier, the chairman of the committee, Hon. Bello Mutawalle, called for the demolition of the uncompleted buildings where the killing took place.
The chairman, however, reversed his earlier position, after plea by some members of the committee to allow the senate carry out an investigation on the matter.
It would be recalled that a combined team of Army and the State Security Service (SSS) had on September 20, 2013 shot seven persons dead, who were believed to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect at an uncompleted building at the Apo Legislative Quarters.
The building is said to belong to a certain Mrs. Aduni Yunusa.
