The Estate Development Control of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) demolished about 17 houses at the Trade More Estate, Lugbe, along Airport Road, Abuja, on Thursday.
Officials of the agency, accompanied by a joint task force comprising the police and State Security Service (SSS) personnel, entered the estate with a bulldozer around noon when most people were at work.
Flooding at the estate has become a consistent issue due to the building of houses on waterways, non-compliance with safety instructions and early warnings.
Some of the buildings demolished were marked on Tuesday, May 15, with the 48 hours notice written in red paint.
The demolition stopped around 2:30 p.m on Thursday after some of the residents pleaded that they should be allowed to move out their belongings.
Owners of some of the houses marked for demolition but which are yet to be demolished had to move out their belongings just as they also tried to salvage other parts of the buildings like aluminum windows, roofs and gates.