FCTA Starts Mass Evacuation of Street Beggars from Abuja

FCTA Starts Mass Evacuation of Street Beggars from Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced the evacuation of street beggars and miscreants from the nation’s capital.

This development follows a directive from the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, mandating the complete removal of street beggars, traders, “one chance” syndicates, scavengers, miscreants, and other social nuisances from satellite towns within the FCT.

In a statement issued Wednesday by Wike’s spokesman, Lere Olayinka, the operation, tagged “Operation Sweep Abuja of miscreants, street beggars/traders, scavengers and other criminal elements,” has officially begun.

“In line with the Abuja Environmental Protection Act and other relevant laws, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has directed the immediate evacuation of miscreants, street beggars and traders, scavengers, and other criminal elements from the FCT,” the statement read.

“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 enforce this directive, a Joint Task Force made up of security agencies and relevant FCT Secretariats, Departments, and Agencies (SDAs) has been deployed to apprehend individuals found begging, scavenging, loitering, or engaging in activities harmful to public well-being.

The statement further disclosed that those apprehended would be profiled and handed over to their respective state governments.

“The security of lives and properties 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,” it added