The Niger State Government on Tuesday started the demolition of illegal structures on roads in Minna, the state capital.
The Acting General Manager, Niger State Urban Development Board, Muhammed Bawa, told newsmen in Minna that the exercise, which started from the state capital, would extend to other urban cities in the state.
He said the demolition of the illegal structures on the roads was to make for the Right of Way, which was part of the statutory functions of his board.
Bawa said: “The development control is a routine activity, which we started last week.
“It is an ongoing thing and it will continue until all illegal structures are removed.
“From Minna, the state capital, we are planning to move to Suleja and other urban centres in the state.”
Bawa said the NSUDB gave prior notice to those who erected illegal structures to remove them, contrary to what some of the affected people claimed.
He said going by the provisions of the law, the board was not obliged to notify them “because if you are occupying an illegal piece of land that is not yours and you don’t have any right, as far as government is concern it would be removed.
“We were magnanimous enough to have written to them, but the COVID-19 pandemic did not allow us to take action until now.”
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state, Nas Abdullahi, said some staff of the NSUDB were attacked by some youths during the demolition exercise.
“It is true that the youths in the area attacked the officials of the board and injured a driver,” Abdullahi disclosed.
Abdullahi said that the driver was promptly taken to a hospital for treatment.
It was reported that irate youths teamed up with traders whose shops were affected in the mini market of the Brighter Road in Minna to attack the residence of Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, the Deputy Governor of the state.
One of the shop owners, Mallam Muritala Ahmed, claimed that the state government did not notify them.
Ahmed said NSUDB officials simply asked him to move out of his shop and that they started demolishing it without even allowing him to remove his cash, goods and other valuables.
He said: “I was just sitting in my shop and they said come out
