By Ismaila Jimoh, Abuja
Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has disclosed that in the fourth day of its operation sweep Abuja clean aimed at putting a stop to the activities of beggars, scavengers and one-chance syndicate, it has so far evacuated no fewer than 210 beggars away from the streets into it custody for necessary action.
This disclosure was made by the Acting Director, Social Welfare, FCTA Social Department Secretariat, Mrs. Gloria Onwuka while briefing newsmen, revealing that out of 210 evacuated 58 are women, 72 children while 80 are men.
She said they were all caught in the act as they were all sitting in one place seeking for alms from passerby.
Onwuka disclosed that those evacuated have been taken to the FCT Rehabilitation Centre in Bwari for necessary profiling and arrangement to return them back their identified state of origins.
The Director explained that due to outcry over nuisance and criminal activities, the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike had directed officials of the department to step up arrest of destitute persons.
“Every day you receive complaints about one thing or the other, One -chance, kidnapping, all manner of evil things in FCT. So, the minister directed us to do away with all those things.
“Most of the beggars go even to the extent of hiring people’s children to come on the road and be begging. And there are families where they are hiring these children, we don’t even know that this is what they are using their children to do.
“They have taken it as a business. They will now go and hire people from other states, put them in vehicle, very early in the morning, they will come in Abuja and start begging. By evening or in the nighttime, they will disappear.
“There is a woman we caught, she now said that she has cancer at the breast. So by the time they loosen the bandage, there was no single wound at her breast.
“The one chance issue, there is one that our officers, our people, picked at night by 2am. He was carrying a machete with POS and different bank ATMs .
“The time they pick anybody, they will now ask you, which one is your bank? They will give you the card of your own bank, you press,If you fail, they use that machete and do away with you”.
In a similar vein, Director of Security Services Department FCTA, Adamu Gary represented by Peter Olumuji said activities of beggars was a threat to security of residents of the FCT.
He said, “We want to believe that most of the people apprehended, they have constituted degrees of crime and other things in the nation’s capital.
“The security concern of most of these nuisances within the FCT have become a source of great worry to the residents.
“And the Minister has given that directive to the Commission of Police and all other relevant agencies to ensure that the FCT is rid the capital city of all these security threats.
END.
