The Traffic

FCTA Intensifies Abuja Cleanup, Warns Against Shielding Criminals Under Military Cover

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has vowed to sustain its sweeping crackdown on shanties and public spaces serving as criminal hideouts in Abuja, warning that military service does not grant immunity for harbouring offenders.

Reacting to reports about the demolition of a section of Jazz and Blues Entertainment at Panorama Recreational Park, Wuse Zone 3, the FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, said the exercise was part of a city-wide operation driven by credible intelligence.

According to the FCTA, security agencies including the NDLEA and DSS had identified several high-risk zones, notably the Banana Green Belt—stretching from the National Mosque through Wuse Zones 1 and 3—and the Area 10 corridor, where criminals routinely attack residents before fleeing into dense vegetation.

Surveillance and undercover operations revealed that part of the Panorama Recreational Park contained shanties linked to organised criminal groups. The FCTA said it issued multiple contravention notices to the park’s management—beginning in February 2024 and culminating in a final eviction order on July 25, 2025—which were ignored.

The agency stressed that the park’s main facilities, including its football pitch, gym, and viewing areas, remain untouched and open to the public.

“While the FCTA respects the service of Air Commodore Balogun, national service cannot be a cover for endangering public safety,” the statement read.

The cleanup, launched on August 6, 2025, will continue in the coming weeks, expanding to other districts in a bid to make Abuja safer for residents and visitors.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna