The combined task force of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) involved in the ongoing demolition in Kuje area council has raised the alarm over densely populated Cashew forests discovered at different locations within the town.
This, they said, was a huge set- back to stakeholder’s efforts against insecurity, as the forests provide hideouts to criminal elements.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT minister, Ikharo Attah, weekend at stakeholders dialogue meeting told Kuje community leaders that the administration was not against people owning economic trees, but frown at anything that encourages insecurity.
Attah said the discovery startled security agencies’ component of the task force, and that they have complained of the risk it portends to residents of Kuje.
“We saw cashew forest thicker than Amazon forest. Where security operatives raised alarm that during operation, nobody can see through the forest, even in the afternoon,” Attah stated.
He warned that during the one- week long exercise at Kuje, every illegality that constitutes threat to national security would be addressed in accordance with the Urban and Regional Planning laws of FCTA.
While he urged all stakeholders, including community, political, religious and traditional leaders in Kuje to continue to support government’s policies, he also allayed the growing fears that FCTA initiated clean up exercise to take over indigenous people’s land.
He added, “the FCTA is not coming to take any land from anyone in Kuje. The one FCTA will reclaim is the rail corridor which belongs to everyone, we don’t have any other land we are claiming. The land that belongs to the people should be left for the council to develop for the people.”
