The Minister of the FCT, Mallam Muhammad Bello, has ordered the arrest of officers of the Federal Housing Authority, and the developer of a collapsed three-story building in Abuja.
The Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Umar Shuaibu, disclosed this to journalists during a briefing on Saturday.
Shuaibu said the minister directed the arrest of the FHA officials and developer, following the death of three persons trapped under the rubble.
He said, “Henceforth, the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammadu Bello, has directed the security agencies to arrest the following and charge them for manslaughter of those who lost their lives in this building collapse incident.
“They are: The FHA officer in charge of granting the development permit; the FHA officer saddled with monitoring the development; the developer of the plot; the engineer supervising the development for the developer.’’
Shuaibu added that the FCTA had assigned the Gwarinpa Estate to the FHA, to ensure strict compliance with the Abuja Master Plan, and its development and monitoring.
He, however, said that the administration through findings noted violations in the location, building plan control, and development monitoring by the FHA, adding that findings revealed the incapacity of the authority to handle development control.
“Our preliminary findings suggest that there were breaches in the location, building plan approval, control and monitoring of the development by the FHA, with glaring criminal tendencies by the developer, and or his representative during the construction activities.
