The Federal Capital Territory Administration has stepped up security measures across Abuja, as its special task force, Operation Sweep, conducted raids on motor parks and other strategic locations to rid the city of criminal elements ahead of the festive season.
The operation, which took place on Monday, targeted motor parks, shanties and other identified crime-prone areas as part of efforts to guarantee the safety of residents of the Federal Capital Territory during the yuletide.
Speaking with journalists after the exercise, the Director of the Security Services Department of the FCTA, Adamu Gwary, said the operation was designed to reinforce security across the territory throughout the festive period and beyond.
Gwary, who spoke through the Secretary of the Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Olumuji, disclosed that the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, had directed all security agencies under Operation Sweep to decisively tackle all forms of criminal activities in the territory.
He stated that the task force had recorded notable achievements since the commencement of the operation, adding that sustained surveillance of motor parks and other vulnerable locations remained ongoing.
According to him, illegal motor parks allegedly serving as bases for “one-chance” criminal syndicates were being dismantled, while shanties suspected to be hideouts for criminals were also being pulled down.
“Any place harbouring criminal elements, including shanties, is being destroyed.
“We want to tell all miscreants and criminal elements in the FCT that the territory will be too hot for them to operate.
“We don’t have a safe haven for criminals in the FCT anymore, and they should take note of that,” Olumuji said.
He added that the operation had led to multiple arrests, the demolition of illegal structures and the removal of criminal elements posing as commercial taxi drivers.
Olumuji explained that the primary objective of the exercise was to safeguard lives and property during the yuletide and in the coming months.
He further revealed that security personnel had been deployed to identified blackspots across the city, while operators of motor parks and event centres were advised to remain vigilant and ensure that individuals without proper identification, particularly motorists, were not permitted to operate within their premises.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Enforcement Unit of the FCT Social Development Secretariat, Mrs Ukachi Adebayo, disclosed that 181 beggars had been removed from the streets and were currently undergoing rehabilitation at the secretariat.
She said those arrested comprised 45 males, 77 females and 59 children, noting that individuals who opted for repatriation would be returned to their respective states.
“The beggars arrested are currently in our holding centre. When we apprehend them, we profile them, take care of their welfare and train those who are willing to be trained,” she said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Jabi Motor Park, Adamu Abubakar, praised the FCTA for the initiative, describing it as timely and impactful.
Abubakar said the ongoing operation was already helping to sanitise transport activities in the FCT and curb the operations of “one-chance” criminals who had damaged the image of the transport sector.
