Abuja Streets Under Siege from Filth — Wike Declares Cleanup Offensive

There is a new chapter being written on the streets of the capital of Nigeria. The city’s dignity is being restored, street by street, by a government that is committed to do so, not by the beggars who persistently tap at tinted windows at every crossroads or the hawkers who weave across traffic peddling bottled water and gala.

Barrister Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who is renowned for his unyielding determination and tough stance on urban order, is at the center of this movement. He is on a mission this time: Abuja will no longer be the “capital of beggars” in Nigeria.

“We’ve declared war.” A pledge was made at the flag-off of an access road to the Judges’ Quarters in Katampe, breaking through the din of construction. With security chiefs and dignitaries at his side, Wike didn’t hold back.

He proclaimed that Abuja was becoming a city of beggars. If you know that your sibling is pleading here, tell them to get out right away. We are going to remove them starting next week. War has been declared.

The Minister believes that street begging is a cover for exploitation and crime rather than compassion. From Gwarimpa to Asokoro, syndicates have been exploiting Nigeria’s poorest citizens for years by smuggling children from distant areas and dropping them off at crossroads in Abuja. According to officials, some beggars also serve as spies for “one chance” robbers and pickpockets.

“It is embarrassing that when people enter our capital, they see beggars lining up at every intersection,” Wike remarked. A few are crooks. Some people make up being ill. We refuse to permit it.

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As promised, before the dust from his speech had cleared, the operation got underway. On Monday, paramilitary convoys and police trucks began rolling out throughout the city as part of what is now known as Operation Sweep Abuja Clean.

The Department of State Service (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Military Police, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), and other agencies are supporting former Commissioner of Police Olatunji Disu in his leadership role. their brief? Simply comb every nook and cranny.

Disu informed his soldiers before daybreak that they would examine every black area, bridge, and hiding place for the first two weeks.

The numbers, which surprised even seasoned officials, came four days later: 80 males, 72 children, 58 women, and 210 beggars in detention. The spectacle at the FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre in Kuchikon, Bwari Area Council, where the arrested were bussed in, was a clear example of a long-standing issue exposed.

Kuchikon, Bwari’s FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre is a stark reminder of the effects of decades of poverty and neglect. Every day, buses pull in, carrying rag-clad men and women, infants clutching weary moms, and wide-eyed kids who are unable to identify the places from whence they originated.

The Social Welfare Department’s Acting Director, Gloria Onwuka, observed the processing of new arrivals and remarked, “What we found is even worse than we thought.”

In remote communities, a large number of the youngsters were farmed out by parents. Some women feign sickness. At the conclusion of the day, certain syndicates collect the fund. This is the definition of organized exploitation.

An approximately 9-year-old child informed a volunteer that he was from Kano, but he was unable to specify the village. In a whisper, he said, “A man takes us in a bus.” “We won’t eat if we don’t get plenty of money,” he says.

According to Onwuka, “the majority of the children were hired.” In fact, we found that some families indeed rent out their children. When daylight arrives, syndicates drive into communities, give parents a few thousand naira, and then dump the kids off at roundabouts to beg. At darkness, they cease to exist.

She mentions a specific woman who said she had breast cancer and need funds for its treatment. “There was nothing when our female cops untied the bandage. No scratches at all.

Locals have long discussed the connections between minor criminality and street begging. The begging man who taps your window today can be a pickpocket tomorrow.

FCT Security Services Director Adamu Gwary stated, “We think many are connected to petty theft, ‘one chance,’ and other crimes. These individuals take advantage of the city’s compassion.”

Gwary, who was speaking at the Kuchikon center through Dr. Peter Olumuji, Secretary of the FCT Command and Control Center, also didn’t hold back. The Minister made it clear that this city must be protected for this reason. It won’t be only talk this time.

However, the crackdown has its detractors. Residents’ opinions at one of the busiest intersections in the city, Berger Junction, are divided.

“Twice, I was robbed by boys who pretended to be begging,” civil servant Mrs. Elizabeth Ikenna said. “I wholeheartedly back the Minister.” This is absurd and has to end.

But cab driver Usman Sule sees another side. “Yes, there are criminals among us.” But some people are simply hungry. After being arrested, where do they go?

Wike’s enormous bet will be tested on this delicate line between law enforcement and compassion.

This time, the FCT argues, it’s different from previous raids that just loaded people onto buses and dumped them at state borders.

Rehabilitation and reintegration are part of the goal, according to Social Welfare Director Dr. Sani Rabe.

He clarified that vocational training would be provided here to those who were eager to study. If it’s feasible, we’ll locate their family. They’ll return some to their states. However, it’s tricky. Many people are reluctant to return home, and some have no family left.

Additionally, in order to prevent repatriated beggars from relocating on new buses, the FCTA is communicating with states.

Begging on the street is just one aspect of Wike’s campaign against urban disorder. They target scavengers pulling carts through estates, illegal roadside mechanics, and unpainted taxis.

As the AEPB’s Head of Enforcement observed the demolition of temporary mechanic sheds beneath the Garki flyover, he declared, “We cannot claim to be the seat of government and still look like a slum.”

The largest democracy in Africa is centered here. It appears to be one.

Another front opened when the steam from the street sweep built up. Over 280 automobiles, tricycles, and commercial motorcycles have been seized due to unregistered plates, traffic infractions, or assistance to criminals.

“Taxis that are operating without license plates or colors are being removed from the road,” Dr. Olumuji stated. Many “one chance” robberies include these vehicles. That is also being shut off.

Police, VIO, and the FCT’s traffic agencies have made it plain that without documentation, a vehicle cannot be driven.

Residents claim that results are already being seen. Black locations, such as the always bustling Wuse Market and Gwarinpa Bridge, are significantly less crowded.

According to Olumuji, “criminals are finding Abuja too hot.” In a city where law-abiding citizens feel secure and criminals have nowhere to hide, that is just what the Minister desires.

Abuja has, of course, already tried this. For a time, prior ministers’ sweeps cleaned the streets. Yet the issue persisted: systemic corruption, poverty, and conflict in the hinterlands.

Wike has instructed his team to do it correctly this time. “We have to fight the syndicates, keep it going, and fix the real instances. That is the only option.

Even though “Operation Sweep Abuja Clean” is just a few weeks old, its message is clear: Nigeria’s capital will not cede its honor to mob gangs, small-time criminals, or urban deterioration.

What follows—jobs for the desperate, assistance for the weak, and the political resolve to stick with it—will determine whether this most recent offensive is a footnote in the city’s cycle of crackdowns or the start of significant change.

The trucks continue to roll. There are still checkpoints. Additionally, the top-level message reverberates throughout each raid: under Wike’s leadership, Abuja would no longer serve as the capital of the beggars.