The Gombe State Urban Planning and Development Authority (GOSUPDA) has intensified its efforts to enforce urban planning regulations, demolishing illegal structures and cracking down on activities that contravene the state’s master plan.
In a recent operation, GOSUPDA, under the leadership of its Executive Chairman, Alhaji Bappayo Samanja Maudo, cleared all unauthorized kiosks and shanties attached to the newly constructed School of Nursing on the Western Bypass.
Beacons constructed within the Right of Way (ROW) of the school were as well removed in compliance with directives from the state governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya.
As part of its ongoing enforcement drive, GOSUPDA, in collaboration with the Taskforce Committee on Gala Houses Demolition, led by Rtd. Captain Bitrus Bilal, demolished two additional structures: the IDD Hotel in Tumfure, located behind Progress Radio, and the Amdaku Guest Inn on BCGA Arfa Hospital Street.
Security agents accompanying the demolition team made several arrests, including male and female teenagers suspected of engaging in unlawful activities.
Among those apprehended were Rabiu Amadu (19), Aminu Musa (23), and Babayo Muhammad Sani (15), a school dropout. During an interactive session with journalists, the suspects admitted to being lured into illegal activities by a man identified as Bappa Musa, who remains at large.
The suspects disclosed that they had been brought from Potiskum, Yobe State, under the guise of working as traditional drug sales agents.
They alleged that Musa provided accommodation, food, and other basic needs while engaging them in immoral activities. Some confessed to being first-time offenders and vowed to reform.
GOSUPDA reiterated its commitment to enforcing the state’s master plan, urging citizens to adhere to regulations and avoid erecting illegal structures. The authority also warned that defaulters would face the full force of the law as it continues to promote orderly urban development and improve revenue generation.