OPERATION SWEEP ABUJA: FCTA ARRESTS OVER 200 BEGGARS AND MISCREANTS IN CITY-WIDE RAID

In a sweeping citywide crackdown, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has arrested 210 street beggars and miscreants in Abuja under “Operation Sweep Abuja,” an effort to rid the city of public nuisance and criminal elements.
Acting Director of Social Welfare, Gloria Onwuka, disclosed that those arrested—80 men, 58 women, and 72 children—are being profiled at the Bwari Rehabilitation Centre before being repatriated to their home states. Some suspected criminal syndicates have been handed over to the police.
“Begging has become a business,” Onwuka lamented, citing cases where children are rented from other states like Kano and Katsina and used for daily begging operations in the capital. She also described incidents of fake injuries and fabricated illnesses used to deceive the public.
Director of Security Services, Damy Gwary, represented by Dr. Peter Olumuji, noted that the operation is focused on major areas like Wuse, Garki, Asokoro, Kubwa, and Gwarimpa. Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, has ordered security agencies to sustain the sweep until the capital is fully secured.