Some communities under the Jiwa Chiefdom in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have raised concerns over the blockage of a major access road allegedly carried out by a company operating within the area.
The affected communities, represented by youths from the area, have submitted a petition to the Department of Development Control, an agency under the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), seeking urgent government intervention.
Leader of the youth group, James Birus Shekwolo, said residents woke up about three months ago to discover that a bridge constructed over a railway crossing in the community had been blocked by a company operating in the area.
According to him, the action has denied residents easy access to their farms, markets, hospitals and schools.
He listed the affected communities as Basan-Jiwa, Idaku, Wokara, Jiwa-Tsoho, Tanum and several others located around the airport and Kuje axis.
‘This is a century-old road that has been used by our forefathers,’ Shekwolo said.
Another youth leader from the communities, Abdullahi Muhammad, said the closure of the road had exposed residents to attacks by criminals who now take advantage of the lonely alternative routes to strike.
He alleged that two residents, identified as Nasiru Muhammad and Yahaya Abubakar, were killed in separate robbery attacks, while their motorcycles were stolen recently.
He added that another victim, Tanko Sule, was severely injured during a similar attack and also lost his motorcycle to the assailants.
The Director of the Department of Development Control, Town Planner Bashir Sunusi, who personally received the petition, invited representatives of the company involved, Abuja Industrial Park Free Zone, for a meeting. The company was represented by one of its directors, Abdulnasir Ibrahim.
Responding to the allegations, the company’s director, Ibrahim, said the decision to block the bridge was based on security directives issued by a regulatory agency.
He also argued that the road was not part of the original master plan, adding that another road was expected to be constructed by the federal government.
Following deliberations, the Director of the Department of Development Control directed both parties to engage in further dialogue and advised that the road be reopened pending the construction of the proposed road captured in the master plan.