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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has denied claims circulating in a viral video that its officials destroyed a public park in Abuja.
It insisted that the ongoing city sanitation exercise targeted only illegal makeshift structures, not the park itself.
The video triggered widespread concern, prompting the FCTA to provide a detailed response. The sanitation exercise, part of a broader security directive from the FCT Security Council, focuses on clearing hotspots that harbour hoodlums, scavengers and illegal traders.
The FCT director of development control, Muktar Galadima, spoke extensively after the enforcement operation, known as City Sanitation, which began last week. He highlighted the positive impacts, noting, “the exercise has led to a noticeable drop in crime rates in cleared zones.”
At the UTC site, the enforcement teams first removed a large refuse dump before dismantling shanties used by suspected criminals. Galadima explained the significance of the location, saying, “This area forms part of an undeveloped transportation corridor stretching from AMAC to Wuse Zone 3, which we are now protecting from land grabbers.”
He added that the corridor would be fenced and designated for transport-related use to prevent reoccupation and sustain the gains of the exercise.
Responding to the viral video, Galadima said: “I think the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Media has provided some clarifications, but let me make certain things clear to the public. Notices were issued as far back as October 2023, also in 2024, and again in February 2025.” He revealed that the mechanics operating in the area were invited for a meeting, where the plan to sanitise and clear the zone was explained. “Even the scavengers, I personally visited their den to inform them that we were coming to remove these illegal structures.”
Galadima emphasised that the park, allocated to Panorama, remains intact: “The park was not destroyed. When you go there today, the playground is there, the gym is there, even the lounge is there. It is only the illegal makeshift structures, essentially scavengers’ shanties that were removed; nothing more, nothing less. Adequate notices were served to the operators of those structures,” he stated.
On the reclaimed railway corridor, Galadima described the conditions that necessitated intervention, saying, “UTC has long been identified as a criminal hotspot and was littered with an unattended refuse dump. As part of the city’s sanitation campaign, we first cleared the dump before dismantling the shanties where hoodlums were hiding.”
He described the scene as disturbing and alarming, noting that the combination of refuse heaps, shanties and criminals terrorising the area required immediate action to restore safety and order.
Galadima further explained: “In Abuja’s master plan, particularly the land use plan for Phase One and Garki District, this is part of the transit way corridor, a system that runs across the city from here, behind AMAC and the Ministry of Defence, towards Wuse, behind Fraser Suites, up to Wuse Zone 3. It is a proposed but undeveloped transit way system that we are maintaining and protecting against land-grabbing.”
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He stated the intention of the FCT Security Council: “After clearing, we are to take possession by fencing the area and using it in ways compatible with city development.”
To prevent illegal reoccupation, Galadima assured that regular mop-up operations would follow the clearance. The space is planned for transportation-related activities aligned with Abuja’s urban development objectives.
Addressing the critiques of sudden demolition, Galadima stressed: “There was no sudden action. Enforcement visits were made two weeks prior, with traders acknowledging prior warnings. Another notice was given days before our latest clearance.”
He acknowledged that enforcement activities often generate resistance and misinformation, alluding to the social media criticisms following the zone 3 exercise.
Galadima, speaking about yesterday’s major clearance operation in the popular UTC Complex in Area 3 and its environs, targeting criminal hideouts and illegal structures, described the area as a “dark spot” in the nation’s capital. This initiative is part of an ongoing sanitation and security campaign to restore order and safety across Abuja.
He noted that the operation began by removing a dumpsite near the UTC before proceeding to dismantle shanties housing hoodlums. “This exercise is under the directive of the FCT Security Council and forms part of our broader city sanitation and security efforts,” Galadima told reporters.
He explained that the cleared land lies within the transit way corridor of the Abuja Master Plan, specifically designated for Phase One and the Garki District, and will be secured with fencing to prevent future encroachment. “It has not been developed yet, but it is being maintained and protected against land-grabbing,” he added.
On the security front, the FCTA director of security, Peter Olumuji, said: “This operation is purposeful, targeting identified locations harbouring criminals who attack unsuspecting residents.”
He confirmed strong collaboration with other security efforts, aimed at tracking and removing criminals wherever they may relocate.
Olumuji reported significant security benefits from the cleanup, saying, “Since we began this operation one week ago, crime statistics from the FCT Police Command show a drastic reduction in crime rates within the cleared areas.”
He said the simultaneous Operation Sweep running alongside city sanitation was to further stabilise the city’s environment.
“There have been many achievements,” Olumuji concluded. “In due time, the FCT Commissioner of Police will brief the press on these successful outcomes.”
