The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday demolished clusters of illegal structures and evicted traders from the UTC area in Abuja’s Area 10, as part of an intensified effort to sanitize public spaces and curb criminal activities in the capital city.
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The operation, led by the FCTA City Sanitation Task Force, was carried out on the directive of the Federal Capital Territory Security Committee, according to Mukhtar Galadima, Director of Development Control, who supervised the exercise.
“This is about enforcing order and eliminating criminal hideouts,” Galadima said at the site, where heaps of refuse had been left to rot.
The UTC district, he explained, had been identified as one of several “dark spots” where illicit activities had thrived openly.
Before tackling the main cluster of shanties, sanitation teams cleared large piles of garbage that had triggered complaints from residents and raised public health concerns. “What we found here is disturbing and alarming. Something serious has to be done,” Galadima said.
Officials clarified that the site was never designated for commercial stalls or makeshift housing.
Under the Abuja Master Plan and the land use blueprint for Phase I of the Garki District, the area is part of a designated transitway corridor meant to carry transportation routes across the city. The corridor runs from UTC, past the Abuja Municipal Area Council Secretariat and the Ministry of Defence, toward Wuse Zone 3.
Although the transitway has yet to be developed, Galadima said the FCTA intends to protect it from encroachment. Following the clearance, the Security Committee directed that the area be fenced off and reserved exclusively for transport-related use, to prevent illegal occupants from returning.
Security officials emphasized that the UTC clearance is part of a broader campaign to dismantle criminal enclaves across Abuja.
Adamu Gwary, Director of the FCTA Security Services Department, said the exercise targeted areas where suspects were known to “hibernate” before attacking residents.
Represented at the site by Dr. Peter Olumuji, Secretary of Command and Control, Gwary reported a noticeable drop in crime rates in previously cleared areas since the operation began last week.
He noted that the sanitation drive is running alongside Operation Sweep Abuja, a security sweep that has led to multiple arrests and the demolition of numerous shanty settlements.
The FCTA said both initiatives will continue simultaneously, aimed at reclaiming public spaces and restoring a sense of safety in the nation’s capital.
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