Abia State Government has demolished shops and shanties built on the right flank of the Nigerian Railways Quarters in Umuahia to pave the way for an ongoing road construction project.
This is even as the Umuahia Capital Development Authority, UCDA, has defended the demolition, saying the occupants were duly given enough notice before the bulldozers went into action.
The new road, which passes through the First Bank junction from Market Road through the Railways Quarters in the state capital, will terminate at Akanu Ibiam Road, according to a design plan and Memorandum of Understanding between the Abia State Government and the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC.
The road project, according to the Abia State Government, is aimed at easing traffic in Umuahia as well as restoring the aesthetic appeal of the state capital.
The affected structures were being occupied by electronics dealers, dry cleaners near the Government House in Umuahia, as well as shops and shanties occupied by some residents in the Railways Quarters.
When DAILY POST visited the Railway Quarters and Akanu Ibiam Road on Thursday, the demolition had been completed by the Umuahia Capital Development Authority.
Some of the affected occupants confirmed that they were given notice by the state government to vacate the places but lamented that they could not rent new homes and shops before the expiration of the deadline.