Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has emphasized that no amount of protest can hinder the ministry’s resolve to sanitise the nation’s capital.
This declaration is coming a week after task force acting on the orders of the minister demolished the Ruga settlement along Airport Road, Lugbe, generating widespread criticism by some residents of the FCT.
A group of protesters, led by an activist, Deji Adeyanju, had hit the streets while accusing the FCT task force, known as “Operation Sweep,” of heavy-handed tactics.
Adeyanju who condemned the demolition, lamenting that homes were burned and property worth millions was destroyed, added that;
“There is no justification for this demolition. We appeal to President Bola Tinubu to consider the plight of the displaced residents, who are barely surviving”.
Meanwhile, addressing newsmen when he visited the demolished settlement, on Sunday, November 10 the Minister, who was accompanied by top security chiefs in the territory, said he was at the site to see things for himself.
Addressing the victims, the minister stressed that there was no going back in the exercise, adding that the settlement had been identified as a security threat.
The former governor of Rivers state maintained that no government would allow such illegal settlement to continue to exist with report of security threat, especially to the rail corridor.
He told the victims that no amount of blackmail or protest would stop the clearing exercise.
He, however, asked the spokesperson of the victims to bring five of their representatives to the FCTA Secretariat for dialogue on what would be done for them.
Earlier, the spokesperson of the victims, Abba Garu, had told the minister that they had been living in the area for the past 35 years.
He said about 10,000 people were affected by the exercise with all their property and business destroyed.
He pleaded with the minister to provide alternative for them, adding that they were ready to move to another place.
