Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Authorities have banned begging and hawking within its Secretariat, located in Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
This ban was announced to newsmen during the end-of-year media briefing by the FCTA Department of Security Service in Abuja.
The Director of the department, Adamu Gwary, who made this known, warned that the Secretariat was not a place to beg, saying, “If you do not have anything to do here, please don’t come.”
Speaking on measures it has put in place to secure the lives and property of FCT residents, Gwary revealed that the 2023 supplementary budget sent to the National Assembly adequately captures the determination of the Wike-led FCTA to float an effective transport separation system.
According to him, “An effective transportation system, which has been included in the supplementary budget, will drastically reduce issues around one-chance and parking lots in the FCT.”
Also revealing plans to review the security architecture of the FCT, the Director added that plans had already reached advanced stages to revive the G-7 security initiative and as well as expand its number of security informants to include artisans and farmers, among others.
He also stated that the use of informants for information and intelligence gathering, as well as vigilante groups, were part of community policing that the FCT Administration has been carrying out, which has ensured that the Territory remained safe and secure.
Responding to a question on what punishment was meted out to a traditional chief earlier involved in kidnapping, Gwary explained that the chief was stripped of his title and handed over to law enforcement agents for protection.
He, however, regretted that weak legal structures were negatively affecting the adjudication and punishment of lawbreakers and criminals.
The Director stated that his department was working assiduously behind the scenes for the maintenance of security in the nation’s capital, including keeping the peace between herders and farmers and working with relevant agencies to prevent the vandalization of public utilities.
This is as he said, the FCT Administration has completed the installation of CCTV cameras around its Secretariat in phase 1 of the program and would embark on phase two of it, which involves installation around strategic areas of the city to monitor, arrest, and prosecute criminals.
Calling on residents to be security-conscious and report any suspicious happenings to nearby police stations, Gwary informed the public that there was a prevalence of criminality in parts of Bwari, Kuje, Abaji, and Kwali, among others.
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