FCTA Gives Reason for Demolishing Jazz and Blues Entertainment

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has clarified that the demolition of Jazz and Blues Entertainment at Panorama Recreational Park, Wuse Zone 3, was a targeted security operation aimed at dismantling a criminal hideout, not an act of persecution.

The Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, gave this clarification in a statement in Abuja.

According to the statement, intelligence gathered by security agencies, including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Department of State Services (DSS), linked a section of the park, occupied by shanties and makeshift structures, to sustained criminal activity by organised networks operating within Abuja.

“Security agencies, including the NDLEA and DSS, identified several locations and facilities that serve as criminal hideouts and safe havens across the Federal Capital City (FCC). Notable among these areas is the Banana Green Belt, which extends from the Central Mosque area towards Zone 3 and Zone 1 of Wuse District, including the Area 10 corridor.

“In these areas, innocent citizens are assaulted by assailants, who then seek refuge within the surrounding Banana Green Belt vegetation to evade arrest.

“The intelligence obtained and verified through several surveillance and undercover investigations of these locations — including the Jazz and Blues Entertainment section of Panorama Recreational Park — revealed that a segment of the park containing shanties and batchers had evidence of sustained criminal activity tied to organised networks operating within the FCT.

“Thus, in accordance with Abuja’s Development Control Regulations and public safety protocols, the FCTA, in collaboration with other security agencies, commenced a city-wide cleanup exercise of all identified criminal hideouts across the FCC”.

Mr. Olayinka noted that the FCTA had issued multiple contravention notices to the park’s management, beginning in February 2024, followed by three formal notices between October 2024 and June 2025, and a final eviction order on July 25, 2025 but were all ignored.

The cleanup operation, carried out on August 6, 2025, affected only the portion of the park linked to criminal activities. The main facilities, including the football field, gymnasium, and viewing platforms, remain functional.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the FCTA wishes to state that the main facilities and activities within the park, such as the football field, viewing platforms, gymnasium area, and several other facilities were unaffected and remain operational following the removal of these criminal elements from the park.

“While the FCTA acknowledges and respects the military service of Air Commodore Balogun, it reiterates that national service is not a licence for any individual to harbour criminal elements or activities, thereby endangering the general public.”

The FCTA vowed to continue its city-wide clearance of shanties and illegal structures across the Federal Capital City in the coming weeks to improve safety and restore order.

PR/Remi Johnson