By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

Worried by the number of hoodlums and criminal elements taking over ungoverned spaces on Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has taken steps to reclaim the spaces occupied by hoodlums and other criminal elements threatening the peace of residents of the territory.

The FCTA Department of Development Control on Monday, said the administration will recover and convert some of the open spaces to Parks and Recreation Centers to curb the rate of crimes being perpetuated in the neighbourhoods.

Director Development Control Department, TPL Mukhtar Galadima, told journalists after a clean-up exercise in Katampe extension, said that similar measures will be replicated in other areas where the administration recently moved in to demolish shanties.

Galadima, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Monitoring and Enforcement of the department, Hassan Ogbole, lamented that the hoodlums constantly returned to the area despite being cleared severally.

He said, “We have done this in several locations and we are here in Katampe extension. This is a high tension line where any kind of activity is not supposed to be going on around it but unfortunately, this is the fourth time the task team will be here. Whenever we remove them, they come back. We know they are being exploited by people within themselves and outside, but we are investigating thoroughly to bring those involved to law.

“We will keep doing this. We can’t leave an ungoverned space and that’s why we are working on governance now. We are working in partnership with the residence association of Katampe Extension as well as the Parks and Recreation Department. Sooner or later we will get them to take proper occupation of this place so that these people will not come back.

Before then we will keep coming here to make sure they don’t come back.”

The Assistant Director in charge of Maintenance, Parks and Recreational Department, Engr. Isa Abdulmalik, disclosed that the measure will be replicated in ungoverned spaces in Kabusa, Gaduwa, Guzape, Apo Dutse, and others.

“We are going to fence this place, put a recreational facility which will be between us and the residents here to serve as a neighborhood park, so that the people here can make use of the facility.

“With this, I think we will curb most of the illegal activities and the taking over of this place by hoodlums in the past. So I believe when we do that the neighborhood and the people around will enjoy the facility. There are so many other places within this city so far that we have recovered and created parks there. Some of these areas are Kabusa, Gaduwa, Guzape, Apo Dutse, and others.”

Earlier, the Secretary of FCTA Command and Control Centre, Dr. Peter Olumuji, had explained that residents of Katampe extension had complained of security threats due to the influx of criminal elements in the area.

Olumuji said, “We’ve seen incidents of people coming here to sell drugs and the rest and a lot of other vices that go on around here.

“But, now that we’ve come around here for clearance operation, our own is just to ensure that this place is clear of these places that they can hibernate in perpetrating their dangerous activities to human habitation within this environment.”

In a related development, the FCTA through the Abuja Investment Company Limited, AICL, has commenced the beautification and reorganisation of the demolished sites of the city’s informal activities.

To this end, the Galadima’s led-joint city management task team that have been working with relevant security agencies such as the Nigerian police, NSCDC, the NDLEA, the DSS, the Immigration Service, the correctional service, and fire service visited new facility at Area 1 Shopping Centre built for sellers of Kilishi (an Hausa name for dried Nigerian beef jerky).