Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities have removed 273 destitute persons from the streets and impounded 670 vehicles in the past four months under Operation Sweep, the city’s ongoing campaign to restore order and curb street-related crimes.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Wale Ajao, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the Security Committee Meeting held at the residence of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
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Mr Ajao said the 273 destitute persons removed are now in the Social Development Secretariat Centre in Bwari for profiling and care.
“Their welfare has been taken care of, and they need to be relocated to where they belong,” he said.
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He said the exercise will continue, stressing that the goal is to relocate those who have no business being in the FCT.
He noted that 670 vehicles have been impounded due to traffic offences, improper documentation, tinted glasses, issues of covered number plates and commercial operations without an appropriate licence.
Mr Ajao said individuals apprehended for drug peddling have also been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further necessary actions.
Operation Sweep
Mr Wike launched Operation Sweep to rid the capital city of beggars, scavengers, “one-chance” robbery gangs, and other criminal syndicates. The initiative aims to restore safety, order, and the city’s aesthetic integrity.
The crackdown follows a Federal High Court ruling last month dismissing a suit seeking to stop the minister from evacuating beggars from the city.
Mr Ajao said the next phase will involve stricter enforcement of traffic laws, warning that driving against traffic or with covered license plates poses serious safety risks and will no longer be tolerated.
New directives
Mr Wike has also ordered an immediate clampdown on illegal mining operations emerging around the FCT, removal of shanties and illegal Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
The police commissioner said individuals in the illegal IDP camps will be profiled and those without valid displacement reasons will be relocated to their places of origin.
“Specifically, the issue of shanties springing up everywhere in the FCT has been of concern and importance to the Minister,” he said.
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“We have been addressing those issues, and he has tasked the Service Commander to continue addressing the situation to see that we rid the whole of FCT streets of all these miscreants that are constituting threats to the environment.”
Mr Ajao also said the police will roll out full implementation of the clampdown against traffic offenders with proper documentation of offenders.
He described traffic infractions such as driving with covered licence plates or against one-way streets as life-threatening issues.
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