By Daniel Tyokua
The combined team of Federal Capital Territory Administration, yesterday arrested beggars constituting security threats and environmental nuisance.
Speaking during the exercise, Secretary, Command and Control Centre, FCTA, Mr Peter Olumuji, said following receipt of credible intelligence from relevant security and paramilitary agencies, the team dislodged the activities of one-chance syndicates, who most times use unpainted taxies and parks in locations that are not earmarked for parking of vehicles in the city.
He noted that the raid is part of its holistic operation to ensure that residents of Abuja can move freely at every point as well as curbing the menace of one chance and street begging.
The team, comprising of the Nigerian Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Security (DSS), Immigration Service, Correctional Service, NDLEA, Directorate of Road Traffic Service (DRTS) and Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Social Development Secretariat (SDS) as well as other relevant agencies in the FCT, also confiscated vehicles from different locations within the city centre.
According to him: “The enforcement team is all out to ensure that we raid any location that harbours indiscriminate parking, as we have been receiving reports about one chance, and the security agencies with us have been giving us credible intelligence on this issue. That’s why we have to go round the city and dislodge these unapproved parking zones.
“And the aspect of the nuisance beggars do, they can also be used as a platform to gather information for criminal activities and they are also public nuisance within the city centre.
“We had started this operation for the past few weeks now, and we are sustaining it, because from the feeders that we have been getting from the members of the public shows that they are appreciating the efforts of the FCT Administration in carrying out the operation, and we are not resting on it.”
Similarly, Deputy Director, Operations, Directorate of Road Traffic Service, Deborah Osho, disclosed that the team impounded no fewer than 15 vehicles from different locations within the city centre, for varying traffic rule violations, including vehicles that are rickety, and are not supposed to be on the road.
She noted that most of the illegal parks constitute serious traffic obstructions in the city, as the operators divide and occupy major road corridors including pedestrian ways, thereby forcing other motorists and road users to go slow, in order to pass.
“We were out yesterday (Tuesday) for sensitisation on the need for commercial drivers to take their vehicles to available taxi ranks within the city but today (Wednesday) they are out on the corridors of the road forming illegal parks, thereby obstructing traffic.
“This is the reason that we are clamping down on them, in order for them to go into approved taxi ranks for their operations in the city, so that our roads will be free”, she said.
