The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has raised the alarm over the increasing use of beggars and destitute persons by criminal syndicates to transport illicit drugs and aid criminal activities within Abuja.
Secretary of the FCT Command and Control Centre, Dr. Peter Olumuji, disclosed this during the ongoing enforcement exercise tagged ‘Operation Sweep’, aimed at removing beggars, scavengers and other vulnerable persons from the streets of the nation’s capital.
Olumuji said intelligence reports indicated that criminal elements exploit physically challenged persons and street beggars as couriers for illicit substances, particularly during nighttime operations.
“The sad thing is that, as vulnerable as they have become, they have also become a useful tool in the hands of criminal elements.
“From intelligence we have gathered over time, they use them to courier illicit drugs, especially in the nighttime. Who will suspect that a physically challenged person could courier illicit drugs? But they use them to do that,” he said.
He further revealed that some of the individuals also serve as informants for criminal gangs operating within the FCT, thereby posing additional security threats to residents.
According to him, enforcement personnel have encountered resistance during some operations, with suspects allegedly attacking officials using walking canes and other mobility aids.
The development comes as the FCTA intensifies efforts to sanitise the city and address growing public concern over street begging and insecurity.
Head of FCT Enforcement, Ulkacha Adebayo, disclosed that 54 persons, comprising 45 adults and nine children, were evacuated during Monday’s operation.
She added that the administration had removed a total of 889 destitute persons from various parts of Abuja within the last three months.
“In the past three months, we were able to evacuate about 835 of them. So, if we add it to the number we have now, it’s about 889,” she said.
Adebayo explained that those evacuated were being profiled and taken to government rehabilitation centres for welfare support and vocational training.
She noted that the exercise was part of ongoing efforts by the FCT Administration to maintain orderliness and improve security across the capital city.
Areas already covered under the operation include Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Wuse and Gwarinpa, while officials said the exercise would continue on a sustained basis under the directive of the FCT Minister.