The Social Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it has so far arrested 210 beggars over suspected criminal activities in the nation’s capital.
Acting Director of the Social welfare department, Gloria Onwuka, disclosed this when she took the apprehended beggars to the Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre in Bwari on Thursday.
She said out of those arrested in continuation of its ‘operation sweep Abuja clean,’ 58 are women, 72 children and 80 men.
The director explained that due to outcry over criminal activities, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had directed officials of the department to step up the arrest of unhoused persons.
Onwuka said,”Every day you receive complaints about one thing or the other; one-chance operators, kidnapping, and all manner of crime and criminality in the FCT. So, the minister has directed us to do away with all those things.
“Most of the beggars go to the extent of hiring people’s children to beg. And the owners of these children don’t even know what they are using their children to do.
“There is a woman we caught who said she has breast cancer. By the time we loosened the bandage on her body, there was no single wound on her breast.”
On security, the Director FCTA Security Services Department, Adamu Gwary, represented by Peter Olumuji, said the activities of the beggars was a threat to the security of FCT residents.
