By Stanley Onyekwere
In the wake of the ongoing strategic demolition exercise in Mpape community, some residents in the densely populated area, are demanding for more security surveillance to checkmate dislodged criminal elements from continuing with their attacks on innocent people.
The concerned residents complained that since the exercise started with focus on structures on road corridors and shanties harbouring the suspected criminals, unprovoked attacks and snatching of personal belongings of innocent people have persisted.
However, the cleanup exercise on Tuesday claimed over 536 structures, mostly of shanties, including local drama theatres, also known as ‘gidan drama’ in hausa language and several other places, suspected to be criminal hideouts.
Also, while some residents said the exercise had given them a environmental ambience for fresh breath, others are pleading that the exercise should just restricted to the roads.
Chairman of the FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, Ikharo Attah who insisted that the cleanup exercise would be sustained for a long time, also stated that restoring sanity to Mpape was a commitment that FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has vowed to.
Attah, also explained that some of the structures that were removed far away from the road corridors, were those allegedly harbouring some criminal elements.
He noted that while the administration was pained that many residents were affected by the exercise, he added that government cannot watch illegalities to over run it.
“ what we observed today is the excessive level of criminalities in Mpape is very worrisome, you can see that even today they are still snatching people’s things.
“ Several arrests have been made of the criminals. We thought we could just restrict ourselves to along the roads, but we have to move to where the criminals are staying”, he said.
On the arrested suspects, the Commander Combined Task Force, Idowu Azeez disclosed that about four suspected criminals that were arrested with some dangerous weapons were handed over to the Mpape Police divisional headquarters for further investigation.
He also noted that security will be beefed in the area to forestall further attacks of the residents.
On his part, the Secretary, FCT Command and Control, Peter Olumuji said the Secretariat of Security Services was working in concert with relevant security agencies to provide more surveillance within the area.
Olumuji noted that the reported increased snatching of personal belongings from residents, was because the dislodged criminal elements have become shelterless.
He added that the security arrangements been put in place will ensure that all the criminal elements were completely eliminated from the place.
