By Peter Omopo
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has evacuated no fewer than 607 beggars and persons with mental health challenges from the streets of Abuja between July 2025 and January 2026.
The Head of Enforcement at the FCT Social Development Secretariat, Mrs Ukachi Adebayo, disclosed this on Monday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria. She said the exercise was carried out by the Operation Sweep Abuja Clean team as part of ongoing efforts to rid the nation’s capital of street begging.
According to Adebayo, 583 of those removed were beggars, while 23 were individuals suffering from mental health challenges.
She explained that those apprehended were first counselled and profiled before being handed over to their respective state liaison offices for onward return to their states of origin, where rehabilitation processes are expected to take place.
“When we apprehend beggars and mentally challenged individuals, we first counsel and profile them. After that, we take them to their state liaison offices to be returned home for rehabilitation,” Adebayo said.
She noted, however, that many of the evacuated persons often return to the streets, stressing that the operation would remain continuous.
“The more you take them out, the more they resurface. Some were driven by insecurity in their states and came to Abuja to seek refuge, but we will continue to apprehend them and take them back,” she added.
Also speaking, the Acting Director of Social Welfare at the Secretariat, Mrs Gloria Onwuka, raised concerns over the exploitation of children for street begging. She revealed that some children found begging in Abuja were brought from other states by individuals who exploit them for financial gain.
According to Onwuka, investigations have shown that some women apprehended while begging with children were not the biological mothers of the children.
“Begging is now being run like a business. Some people hire children from other states, transport them to Abuja early in the morning and put them on the streets to beg. In many cases, the families do not even know what their children are being used for,” she said.
The FCTA reiterated its commitment to sustaining the clean-up operation to improve public order and social welfare in the Federal Capital Territory.
