Through its demolition squad, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has issued final quit notice to traders in Apo-Dutse area of the city.
They have been asked to vacate the area within 24 hours before the bulldozer would be deployed to level illegal structures.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the FCT minister, Ikharo Attah, said the traders’ presence in the area was illegal and security threat to the territory.
He said the administration had served several demolition notices to the traders and would therefore not give them another grace after the next 24 hours.
The FCT Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation had prior to the last Ramadan issued a seven-day notice but was extended due to the fasting in the holy month.
Attah stated that the administration, through the Task Force, had exhausted all the avenues for the demolition and would not accept further engagement with the traders.
According to him, another faction sent a letter to the Task Force for quick action but another one said it should be extended to three weeks, since they were asked to leave the place.
He said: “The FCTA is given them 24 hours to quit before the machine will roll in, this market is the biggest pantaker market in Abuja; we have given them a long notice, prior to the last Ramadan and after the holy month.
“We also raided shanties at Dape area of Gwarimpa District and others in Limito axis of Kado fish market.”
The Task Force, during the operation, arrested 14 suspected criminals and seized illicit drugs from drug dealers in the area.
Those arrested have since been handed over to the police for further investigation.
THE NATION