The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) task team, on Monday morning, defied the heavy downpour to pull down illegal structures, which included, religious centers, and warehouses at the land swap infrastructure model corridor in Zauda, Jiwa in Abuja.

Senior special assistant on Monitoring, Inspection, and Enforcement to the minister of FCT, Ikharo Attah, while fielding questions from journalists, explained why they will not be compensated because they are non-indigenes and the policy for compensation are meant for only Abuja indigenes.

According to Attah; “This is part of our activities around this district to actually clear the encroachment on the land swap infrastructure model, despite the rain.

“We want to appeal to people to understand that ‘illegality remain illegality’, we are not disobedient to creator and when we came here today we discovered worship centers , people cried and some of them believe we are disobedient to creator , anything illegality is illegality and we are bound to remove them.”

When asked whether the affected people will be compensated, he said, “There is no compensation at all, this particular area is where non-indigenes live, so there is no compensation earmarked at all. The village chiefs are all here even though the people allegedly said they sold the land to them.”

Director, Development Control, Muktar Galadima, revealed that over 500 houses, warehouses, worship centers were removed from Friday last week till Monday.

“This is the continuation of what we started last week clearing illegal structures along the infrastructure corridor, we have come to conclude it today.

“So far from Friday till today, over 500 structures have been removed. On Friday, we allowed them to remove their valuables,” he said.

He said compensation can be assessed and be paid to only indigenous people but no compensation for non-indigenes because that is the policy and non-indigenes have been warned not to buy land from locals.

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