Abuja evacuation removes 607 beggars and mentally challenged individuals

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has removed 607 beggars and mentally challenged individuals from Abuja’s streets since July 2025. According to Mrs. Ukachi Adebayo, Head of Enforcement at the FCT Social Development Secretariat (SDS), the Operation Sweep Abuja Clean team carried out the evacuation. Out of the total evacuated, 583 were beggars, while 24 were mentally challenged individuals.

The individuals were counseled, profiled, and returned to their respective states with the collaboration of state governments through their liaison offices. Adebayo explained that the process involves counseling the beggars and mentally challenged individuals to understand their situations, after which they are taken to their liaison offices to be reunited with their families.

However, Adebayo noted that despite the efforts, the beggars and mentally challenged individuals often return to the streets. She attributed this to insecurity in their home states, which drives them to seek refuge in Abuja. The FCTA will continue to apprehend and return them to their states, she said.

Mrs. Gloria Onwuka, Acting Director of Social Welfare at the SDS, revealed that some children begging on the streets were brought from other states by unidentified individuals who exploit them for financial gain. She stated that some women caught begging with children were not the children’s biological mothers, highlighting the organized nature of begging in the city.

Dr. Peter Olumuji, Secretary of the FCTA Command and Control Centre, explained that Operation Sweep is a joint security operation aimed at removing miscreants, street beggars, and other criminal elements from Abuja. The operation was instituted by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to address concerns about the city’s security and beauty. Olumuji emphasized that beggars pose security threats and can be used as informants by criminals, while also being vulnerable to kidnapping and other negative activities.

The FCTA’s efforts to remove beggars from Abuja’s streets are part of a broader initiative to improve the city’s security and aesthetics. In October 2024, Minister Wike declared a crackdown on beggars, citing concerns that Abuja was becoming a hub for begging. The operation is ongoing, with the FCTA committed to continuing its efforts to remove beggars and miscreants from the city.