The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT, Nyesom Wike, has deployed a joint task force to rid the city and satellite towns in the FCT of street beggars, traders, ‘one chance’ syndicates, scavengers and other miscreants said to be constituting social nuisance in the territory.
Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister, Lere Olayinka, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said the exercise, code-named ‘Operation Sweep Abuja of miscreants, street beggars/traders, scavengers and other criminal elements’, had already commenced.
The statement read: ‘In line with the Abuja Environmental Protection Act, and other relevant laws, the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike, has directed the immediate evacuation of miscreants, street beggars and traders, scavengers and other criminal elements from the FCT.
‘Our nation’s capital should be a secure symbol of pride and beauty, not a site for street beggars and scavengers, most of whom are agents of criminal elements. To achieve this, a joint task force, comprising security agencies and relevant FCT SDAs, have been deployed to apprehend any persons found begging, scavenging, loitering or engaging in other acts inimical to the well-being of the residents.
‘Arrangements have been made to profile and hand them over to their home state governments.
‘Security of lives and property of residents of the FCT is of paramount importance to the government, we must all join hands to achieve a safer Abuja.
‘Security is my job, your job and our job. Report suspicious movement to 08061581938 and 08032003913’, the statement added.
