2 weeks ago
7
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, connected Friday stormed Apo-Dutse District successful Abuja, wherever 11 duplexes built by the Nigeria Police Force nether high-tension powerfulness lines were demolished by the Development Control Department.
Wike, visibly angered, condemned what helium described arsenic a brazen maltreatment of powerfulness by the Police, pursuing the apprehension and detention of FCT Development Control enforcement officials who carried retired the demolition.
“Government is present to enforce rules, not to interruption them. How tin anybody instrumentality specified a risk, gathering straight nether high-tension lines? Even if determination were nary precocious tension, erstwhile Development Control says nary approval, cipher has the close to instrumentality the instrumentality into their hands conscionable due to the fact that they person force”, Wike declared.
According to him, the Nigerian Police had earlier applied for support to make the land, but the petition was turned down connected information grounds.
“They refused to stop, they went ahead. When Development Control came present to bash the close thing, the officers were arrested. That is unacceptable. I volition instrumentality this up with the due authorities due to the fact that this cannot stand,” Wike vowed.
Wike expressed daze that an instauration charged with enforcing the instrumentality would openly interruption readying regulations and endanger lives.
He assured residents that the FCT Administration would not hesitate to enforce readying laws, careless of the presumption of the violator.
“Imagine the information if these duplexes had been completed and radical started surviving here. One spark, and hundreds of lives would beryllium lost. We cannot fold our arms and let impunity successful the sanction of development,” Wike warned.
The curate promised to formally rise the substance with the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who helium said was retired of municipality and whitethorn not person been alert of the development, insisting that Abuja’s masterplan indispensable not beryllium compromised nether immoderate guise.
The Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, who accompanied the minister, disclosed that the disputed onshore – Plot 189, Cadastral Zone B14, Dutse – was allocated to the Police successful 2018 for organization development.
He explained that the section denied support aft observing that the crippled fell straight beneath high-tension transmission lines and besides wrong the way of a projected flood-control bridge.
“We wrote to them intelligibly stating wherefore we could not assistance approval. They ignored our letters and notices, proceeded with excavation and construction, and adjacent aft we attached a transcript of a missive from the Department of Engineering astir the bridge, they inactive defied us.
“Yesterday, we had nary enactment but to determination successful and enforce compliance. Unfortunately, our officials were detained by the Police until the curate intervened.”
The Administration had connected Thursday demolished the 11 duplexes for blatant usurpation of metropolis readying regulations, informing that developers who disregard authoritative directives volition not lone suffer their investments but besides look stiff penalties.
The duplexes, located on Garba Duba Street successful Apo-Dutse District, were erected straight nether high-tension energy lines and crossed watercourse channels, raising superior information and biology concerns.
Galadima, who led the enforcement squad had said the owners were repeatedly warned but chose to defy the law.
The station Demolished Police duplexes: Wike outraged implicit apprehension of FCTA officials appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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