The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has initiated a major cleanup operation across Abuja, targeting street beggars, illegal traders, scavengers, and suspected criminal groups operating in the city and its satellite towns.
Announced through a statement issued Wednesday by his senior special assistant on public communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, the minister’s directive is being enforced through a joint task force under a newly launched security operation dubbed “Operation Sweep Abuja.”
According to the statement, the minister is determined to “restore order, safety, and aesthetic integrity” to the nation’s capital, while also addressing the surge in petty crimes often linked to loiterers and unregulated street activities.
“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,” the statement reads.
Speaking on the motivation behind the move, Olayinka said: “Our nation’s capital should be a secured symbol of pride and beauty, not a site for street beggars and scavengers, most of whom are agents of criminal elements.”
The operation involves the arrest and profiling of individuals found engaging in street begging, hawking, or scavenging, with plans to repatriate them to their states of origin. The task force will work alongside security agencies and relevant government departments to carry out the exercise.
“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,” Olayinka stated, encouraging residents to report suspicious behavior via dedicated hotlines.
