Thugs Attack FCTA Demolition Squad, Injure 5 Task Force Officials

There was pandemonium at Kuchingoro community yesterday as several officers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Taskforce who were in the community to continue the ongoing clean-up of the Airport Road were attacked by hoodlums.

The attackers were armed with stones, cutlasses, knives and other dangerous weapons.

Five of the officers of the task force were however not lucky as they sustained various degrees of injury, while 10 suspects were arrested and handed over to the police for investigation and prosecution.

The senior special assistant on monitoring, inspection and enforcement to FCT minister, Comrade Ikharo Attah, who was among the officers who escaped unhurt, said the hoodlums were angered that the shanties and illegal structures housing them under electric high-tension installations were demolished.

Attah said the task force would not be deterred by the serial attacks by those opposed to the enforcement of orders and regulations to make Abuja a model city.

He said, “We came here to remove illegal structures that are painted Airport Road in a bad light, we were clearing the roadsides of traders, Okada riders, all of a sudden, some hoodlums appeared and started throwing stones.

“We were able to push them back because we have to clean up the roads. Unfortunately, about five of our personnel sustained various degrees of injury from the stones that hit them,” Attah said.