The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has removed 607 beggars and mentally challenged persons from the streets of Abuja between July 2025 and January 2026, as part of an aggressive security and sanitation drive.
The Head of Enforcement at the FCT Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Mrs Ukachi Adebayo, disclosed this in Abuja, stating that the operation was carried out by the Operation Sweep Abuja task force.
According to her, 583 of those removed were beggars, while 23 were mentally challenged individuals. She explained that all affected persons were counselled, profiled and repatriated to their states of origin through state liaison offices for rehabilitation.
Adebayo noted that although many of the beggars often return to the streets after evacuation, the operation remains continuous.
“The more we remove them, the more some of them resurface. But the operation will not stop,” she said, adding that insecurity in some states has pushed many beggars to seek refuge in Abuja.
Also speaking, the Acting Director of Social Welfare at SDS, Mrs Gloria Onwuka, revealed that begging in Abuja has become an organised activity, with syndicates transporting children from other states to beg and surrender proceeds to handlers.
She disclosed that several women arrested while begging with children were not their biological parents, describing the trend as exploitative and criminal.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the FCTA Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Olumuji, said Operation Sweep Abuja was a joint security initiative involving all security agencies and FCT departments, established on the directive of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Olumuji said beggars pose security risks, serve as informants to criminals, deface the city and are sometimes victims of kidnapping and ritual activities.
He reaffirmed that the operation would continue to flush out beggars, miscreants and other criminal elements across the capital.
The crackdown follows a declaration by Minister Wike in October 2024, warning that Abuja must not degenerate into a “beggars’ city,” stressing that public safety and the image of the nation’s capital remain non-negotiable.
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