By Daniel Tyokua
The Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, has said over 1,000 scavengers have been removed from the Federal Capital City in the last two months.
Director of the board, Dr. Hassan Abubakar told newsmen in Abuja, that the exercise followed the commitment of FCT Administration to ensure sanity in the territory.
Recall that the minister of FCT malam Muhammad Musa Bello, recently directed that scavengers should not be allowed in the nation’s capital, Abuja, citing insecurity as one of the reasons.
Abubakar explained that officials of the board with the support from security personnel had cleared one of the strongest camps for scavengers located near Orji Kalu’s house in Minister’s hill and some areas visited during the recent operation carried out.
“We are not sleeping over the minister’s directive to make the city free of scavengers, 182 of them were arrested and they are undergoing prosecution, some have escaped”
According to him, chasing out of scavengers was not limited to city centre alone, but it will be extended to satellite towns as soon as, “we are done with the city centre”
On grazing within the city centre, the AEPB Director explained that herdsmen grazing within the city were flouting the board’s directive.
He insisted that no one is allowed to go about with cattle in the city, saying efforts are in progress to stop the act, especially children that go about with cattle.
Abubakar stated that the board was working with FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat ,ARDS, to provide adequate security measures in the four areas designated for grazing outside the city centre.
