The Federal Capital Territory Administration has moved bulldozers to Okanje District for demolition of illegal structures in the area.
This was happening after series of warnings were issued against the risky venture of buying of lands from local chiefs.
The Department of Development Control empowered by a combined team of both the military and paramilitary forces, enforced the demolition which lasted for several hours.
It was gathered that the Director, Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima has had meetings with both Community leaders and the land grabbers, with the aim of ensuring that affected people vacate the illegally acquired lands.
It was further gathered that all the available land meant for proposed development in line with the Abuja Master plan were illegally taken over by people with the help of some indigenous people.
Okanje District is one of the fastly developing areas within the Federal Capital City which is surrounded by Kabusa Community and other well designed mass housing estates.
One of the affected illegal occupants of the land, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Osage bemoaned the reality of the demolition threat.
The distraught woman who was picking her personal belongings from the debris of her demolished building, with tears, disclosed that the indigenous people deceived them into acquiring the lands.
She also said, that after the place was marked for demolition, they were deceived again to contribute money to stop the planned exercise.
She noted, “what happened is that on the 12 of April, this year, some people came here and started marking some buildings and we tried to find out whether they were marking for demolition and putting notices, but they didn’t answer us until they finished and left.
“Since that time we have not heard from them again, believing when such notification is given it will take between 2-3 months before final notification but that wasn’t the case, we were surprised to see them this morning removing structures, when most of the owners of the houses had gone to work, they will come back from work and meet no house to enter”, she added.