Anita Ogona
A joint team of security personnel In a coordinated operation on Monday, arrested 34 individuals, including 15 beggars and 19 scavengers, as part of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)’s initiative to eliminate street begging and scavenging in Abuja.
The FCTA has announced that those arrested will undergo vocational training, while individuals unwilling to acquire new skills will be repatriated to their states of origin.
This move follows statements made by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, on October 22, where he expressed concerns that beggars were defacing the city and posing security risks.
The operation involved a collaboration between various security agencies, including the police, military, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other paramilitary forces, who executed the ministerial directives on the ground.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, described the task as a “national assignment,” and urged officers to conduct the operation with professionalism.
“This operation will last for the first two weeks. We will come back and assess our achievements, then we will go back if there is a need for us to continue it,” he said.
Adamu Gwary, the FCTA Director of Security, confirmed that the operation would run day and night for maximum impact.
Represented by Dr. Peter Olumuji, Gwary shared that the enforcement exercise was divided into four zones: the metro area, Airport Road, Kubwa axis, and Asokoro, to cover major parts of the city.
“We have the metro, which is the city centre. We have the airport road that covers the entire airport road from city gates up to Bill Clinton road. We also have the Kubwa axis that covers the Kubwa, Gwarinpa up to Dei Dei. And we have the last group that covers Asokoro, AYA, Nyanya, Karu, and Jikwoyi. All these will be carried out simultaneously.
“We realized that most of them heard the voice of the minister. Notwithstanding, we have one or two who are still trying to test the waters and we have been able to apprehend them. We also have 15 beggars and 19 scavengers that we have picked up in various sectors and we are still counting.”
On his part, Kaka Bello, Head of Enforcement at the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), said the ongoing operation targets not only beggars and scavengers but also aims to clear roadside traders and unauthorized technicians.
According to Dr. Sani Rabe, FCTA’s Director of Social Welfare, arrested persons would be profiled at the Kuchikon rehabilitation center.
Meanwhile, Wike has said that the FCTA will float a new security scheme to flush beggars out of Abuja city.
Wike disclosed this at the inauguration of the upgrading of War College/Army Checkpoint Road and other ancillary roads in Ushafa, Bwari Area Council, Abuja on Monday.
According to the minister, some people choose to beg.
“Stay in your state and beg. FCT cannot be the centre of beggars. It is the only city we have, to showcase to the world. We will not allow it.
“If you want to beg, go to the villages, but leave the city centre. The city must be clean, and we are ready for criminals,” he said.
The minister explained that the move was part of measures to improve security in the FCT, adding that security agencies were doing their best to keep FCT residents safe.
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