The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Development Control Department has demolished structures around Jabi Motor Park in Abuja to reclaim Plot 82, Sector B16, for its owners to commence development in line with an approved building plan, leaving traders and transport operators at the park to count their losses.
The exercise, which affected shops and businesses encroaching on the plot from the adjoining motor park, has left many traders uncertain about their livelihoods, even as the FCTA insists the clearance was necessary to enforce the approved land-use plan, stop illegal occupation and improve security in the area.
The operation has, however, revived a familiar tension in the Federal Capital Territory: the government’s effort to impose order on rapidly developing land versus the livelihoods of informal businesses that often occupy it.
Officials said the affected plot is distinct from Jabi Motor Park, which sits on neighbouring Plot 187.
Under the approved plan, Plot 187 was designated for an international motor and bus terminal, while Plot 82 was allocated for a multifunctional development.
Rilwan Dangora, a sector monitor with the FCTA’s Development Control Department, said commercial transport operators had gradually spread from the motor park onto Plot 82 after construction activity constrained space on the original site.
Over time, he said, the adjoining land became an extension of the park, despite having a separate approved purpose.
“The two plots are separate parcels of land with different approved uses,” Dangora said during the exercise.
He added that the owners of Plot 82 had secured approval for their project and were prepared to begin construction.
The administration also described the demolition as a security measure in the area.
Dr. Peter Olumuji, secretary of the FCT Command and Control Centre, said personnel were deployed to prevent violence and maintain order during the operation.
He said residents of nearby communities, including Utako, had repeatedly raised concerns about crime in the area.
Clearing the structures, officials argued, would deny criminal elements a potential hideout.
Dangora said the department had engaged occupants since last year and served a final demolition notice the previous week.
For many affected traders, however, the notice provided little practical relief.
Several said they lacked an alternative site and were unable to move their inventory before bulldozers arrived.
Christopher John, a trader at the park, said the area had been a daily source of income for families dependent on small businesses and transport work.
He said the demolition disrupted operations without giving occupants enough time to make alternative arrangements.
“They should have given us sufficient time to move our goods and make alternative arrangements,” John said.
Garba Musa, a member of the Jabi Park union, said the union leadership should have been informed earlier so it could alert members.
He appealed to the FCTA to provide a temporary relocation site for affected traders and operators.
Joseph Okoye, another occupant, acknowledged that notices had been issued but said many people were still caught off guard.
“We got the information yesterday, but we don’t know what happened,” he said.
The clearance underscores a broader challenge for urban planners: enforcing a formal master plan in a city where informal commerce has filled gaps left by limited formal infrastructure and employment.
The demolition restores the land to its approved use and signals that development approvals will be enforced.
