By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
Following the directive of the FCT Minister, Barr Nyesom Wike to sanitize the city, 15 beggars and scavengers were arrested on Monday in Abuja in an operation to remove beggars and miscreants from the territory.
The operations that had a combined forces of the Police, Military, DSS, NSCDC, and other paramilitary agencies were deployed in four groups to different locations of the city centre, in search of beggars and miscreants who live under bridges and tunnels.
FCT Police Commissioner, Olatunji Disu who termed the operation as “ a national assignment”, also addressed the operatives along with other heads of security agencies, directing that officers involved in the enforcement must be professional, but uncompromising in carrying out the Ministerial orders.
Disu noted that the operations would last for two weeks, after which the strategies would be reevaluated and reinvigorated.
Disu, said “ 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”.
Speaking on the first day of the operations, the Director, FCTA Security Services Department, Adamu Gwari said the operations would be conducted day and night in order to achieve the desired results.
The Director who was represented by Dr. Peter Olumuji explained that the first day operations had four groups who were “ sectorized into 4 sectors. 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, Gwarimpa up to Dei Dei. And we have the last group that covers Asokoro, AYA, Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi. All these will carry out the operation simultaneously.
He disclosed that while no beggar was arrested in the city centre, because they have all gone into hiding, he however, said that the operations successfully arrested 15 beggars and 19 scavengers from different locations.
“ We realized that most of them have actually heard the voice of the minister. Notwithstanding, we have one or two that are still trying to test the water 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”, he added.
Also speaking, the Head of Enforcement, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEBP, Kaka Bello said the operations are not just about beggars, but sanitizing the city of every nuisance.
Bello noted that roadside traders and all technicians who operate at all illegal places would be touched and evacuated during this Ministerial Operations in Abuja.
On what becomes the fate of the arrested beggars, the Director Social Welfare, FCTA, Dr. Sani Rabe, said they would be taken to the government’s rehabilitation center located at Kuchikon, Bwari Area council, where they would be properly profiled.
According to him, those who are trainable would be given the opportunity to learn some skills for personal empowerment, while those who are not willing to acquire skills would be repatriated to their home states.
