UCDA Demolishes “Illegal” Shanties in Ahiaukwu Olokoro, Shop Owners Cry Out

Agency Says Action Part Of Urban Renewal, Gave Notice Since July 28

UMUAHIA, Abia State – Shop owners and operators of shanties along the road leading to Umuntu and Amangwo in Ahiaukwu, Olokoro, were thrown into panic on Friday morning as officials of the Umuahia Capital Development Authority, UCDA, pulled down structures in the area.

The affected traders were seen running helter-skelter to evacuate goods from their containers and shops as UCDA workers, under heavy security, commenced the demolition exercise.

The Abia State government described the shanties as illegal structures defacing the beauty of Umuahia.

Some of the affected shop owners who spoke to our correspondent said the state government should have given them three to six months to relocate.

However, our correspondent gathered that UCDA had issued an ultimatum from July 28 for occupants to park out.

Trouble, according to the traders, started when those in charge of assigning container and table spaces in Ahiaukwu Market allocated a spot for a container close to the exit of Olokoro Central School.

When the owner refused to remove it, the shop owners alleged that a nearby traditional ruler informed the Abia State government, which then ordered the demolition.

Some of the shanties owners lamented that government had earlier encouraged them to “establish themselves,” but had now reversed the decision, leaving many of them stranded.

Responding, the General Manager of UCDA, Mr. Kingsley Agomoh, said the demolition was in line with the state’s urban renewal agenda.

“The shanties are defacing the town and the city. We have given them much notice,” Agomoh told our correspondent.

He said every stakeholder, including community leaders, was involved in the process, and that the leaders of the nearby communities were not happy with how people were placing shanties and containers indiscriminately.

According to him, the structures were also becoming a source of crime and insecurity in the area.

“The shanties are taking the state back to what it should look like before. This action is in line with urban renewal,” he added.

The demolition exercise continued under tight security as UCDA officials vowed to sustain efforts to rid Umuahia of illegal structures.