The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has carried out a large-scale clearance operation at the popular UTC Complex and its surrounding areas in Abuja, dismantling refuse dumps, illegal shanties, and other structures identified as hideouts for criminal elements.
Speaking during the exercise, Director of Development Control, TPL Mukhtar Galadima, said the operation was part of an ongoing citywide sanitation and security initiative mandated by the FCT Security Council.
He explained that the exercise began with the removal of a dumpsite before moving into the main UTC area, where suspected hoodlums had been operating.
According to Galadima, the cleared land—situated within the transit way corridor of the Abuja Master Plan—will be fenced off to prevent future encroachment.
“This area has not yet been developed, but it is being maintained and protected against any instance of land grabbing,” he said.
Addressing recent social media claims about the demolition of Panorama Garden in Zone 3, Galadima clarified that the park was not destroyed.
He said notices of clearance were served as far back as October 2023, with follow-ups in 2024 and February 2025. “The playground, gym, lounge, and all other park facilities are still intact. Only makeshift structures and scavengers’ shanties were removed,” he stated.
The FCTA’s Director of Security, represented by Dr. Peter Olumuji, said the clearance was a targeted effort to dismantle criminal hubs across the city.
He reported a marked drop in crime in cleared areas over the past week, citing statistics from the FCT Police Command.
“Since we started this operation one week ago, crime rates within the cleared locations have reduced drastically,” Olumuji noted, adding that several machetes used in attacks were recovered.
He confirmed that suspects arrested during the operation are being profiled for prosecution and that “Operation Sweep Abuja” is actively tracking displaced criminals in other parts of the capital.
