The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has dislodged over 1800 shops and shanties belonging to Banbanbolas around Apo Dutse pantaker market Axis.

The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the minister of FCT, Comrade Ikharo Attah said the pantaker market is an illegal market where over 4,000 shops and shanties would be demolished soonest.

Comrade Attah explained that the FCT Minister got intensive complaints of security challenges in the district, and has directed that the area be cleared to give room for the owners of the plots to take possession of their property.

” The FCT Minister gave a directive that we should clear the entire market so that those who are plot owners here will be able to take over their land and start development of mass housing, the market is illegal and very dangerous… the Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, FCT Police Commander Sunday Babaji, and several others have raised concern over what is going on here,” Attah said.

The chairman Association of scrap dealers, Apo-Dutse pantaker market, Anas Ismail, who said most of the youths in the area depended on the scrap business for survival, appealed to the FCT Administration to give them an alternative location suitable for their kind of business.

According to him, “We can’t fight the government, but now that the market is demolished there should be another place for us to relocate else some may turn to criminals”

The coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Shuaibu Umar expressed dismay over the manner some individuals construct buildings without permission and revealed that the illegal market was sitting on over 50 hectares of land.

“…people are living here illegally, they have no permission, the administration gave them adequate time. Getting rid of this type of development is for the good of the entire city. ” Umar said.

Some of the affected persons in their confused state of mind were seen running helter-skelter to salvage some of their valuables.

They appealed to FCTA to make provisions for them to enable them to carry on with their source of livelihood.