A mild drama played out last Thursday after a 27-year-old man, identified as Usman Ya’u, nearly stripped himself naked to prevent officials of the Development Control Department of the FCTA from demolishing his kiosk in Gwagwalada.
A witness said the incident happened at about 11:23 a.m. when a pay loader of the development control accompanied by heavily armed mobile police men were removing some kiosk and shanties along FRCN-market road in the area.
According to him, when the bulldozer was heading towards the man’s kiosk, where he sells second hand clothes, he jumped out of the shop and removed his clothes, apparently to draw sympathy.
“The man suddenly removed all his clothes and started begging on his knees that his kiosk be spared. It took the intervention of some traders in the market who rushed and took him away to calm him down,’’ he said.
He said the man’s kiosk was later spared from being pulled down after intervention of the traders, but he was asked to remove it within one week.
Our reporter learnt that over 30 illegal structures, that included house fences, batchers and shanties were pulled down around Gwagwalada main market.
Reacting, the head of enforcement department, Mr. Mukhtar Galadima, said the demolition exercise was part of their routine operation to rid the area of shanties and illegal structures.
He said all the people affected by the demolition were duly served with notices, adding that it was part of the development control’s mandate to ensure that all structures within the city and council areas are in line with the FCTA’s master plan.
The district officer of the development control in Gwagwalada, Mr Samson Atureta, cautioned residents against acquiring lands illegally from indigenes, noting that explosion in illegal development is fueled by the natives
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