Mariam Adebukola 
The officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have demolished the notorious Kasuan-Dere illicit market, which housed criminals and drug dealers.
Mukhtar Galadima, the Director of the FCT Department of Development Control, who disclosed this while speaking about the Tuesday demolition operation said the market on Hassan Musa Katsina Street, close to Kpaduma II in Asokoro Extension, was becoming a menace to the locals and bystanders.
Galadima claimed that despite the administration’s steadfast efforts to sanitise the location and improve the visual quality of the surroundings, it had become a place where illegal activities are carried out.
He reaffirmed the administration’s intention to clean up Abuja and get rid of drug dealers, hoodlums, and other underworld figures.
He said, “We had demolished the place about three times but the nuisances continue, this time around we are doing it for the last time and it must stay, we need to sanitize the place and enhance the aesthetic quality of the environment.
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“It is also part of the current administration’s policy of sanitizing the city, this is one area where we are starting the exercise.
“The area has so much to do with security threats, information available to us revealed that there are some miscreants, drug dealers, and many other men of the underworld.
“The operation will help us get rid of the hoodlums and drug dealers that have taken over the place.”
The area has been a source of concern for the locals, according to Peter Olumuji, secretary of FCTA command and control, thus steps have been taken to ensure the exercise is sustained.
He said, “After the cleaning, we will put measures in place to ensure that we have a pin-down point here, It will help people to pass here at any time without fear of attack, the exercise is going to be sustained.
“The combined team of the task force will be on standby to ensure that nothing affects the people.”
The village head of Kpaduma, Bitrus Yakubu, commended the FCTA for coming to rescue them from hoodlums.
He said, “The place has been here for over twenty years but today it has gone down for our good. We are very happy as a community because with the clearing of the area the residents have peace of mind.”
