Street begging remains banned in Abuja, FCTA insists

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has again reiterated that street begging remains banned in Abuja and relevant agencies would not hesitate to enforce the law on anyone caught contravening the ban.

This was one of the resolutions of the monthly FCT Security Committee meeting which was chaired by the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa.

Ohaa said the enforcement became necessary to curtail the likely influx of beggars and miscreants to the FCT following the ban on street begging by some states in the country.

The permanent secretary said officers have been directed to intensify public enlightenment campaigns to reiterate the ban on street begging which, he said, also has negative security implications.

According to him: “We want to ensure that the FCT does not become a haven for beggars who  may be coming from other states that have banned street begging.”

The permanent secretary, however, stressed the need for continuous synergy among security agencies for effective performance.

He attributed the improved security situation in the territory to the fact that security agencies have intensified their crackdown on criminals.

“All the security agencies resolved that they will work in synergy to make sure that they tackle insecurity in the city,” he added.

He said that the reduction in violent crimes like kidnapping and armed robbery as well as improved compliance with traffic regulation is as a result of improved synergy.

While calling on residents of the FCT to help improve security by always furnishing security operatives with necessary information that would help them in the proper discharge of their duties, Ohaa also pledged the continuous support of the FCTA for security agencies in the FCT with the provision of logistics.

Also speaking, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, said there had been a significant improvement in security in the FCT, attributing it to a renewed synergy among security agencies.

“There is synergy among  security agencies. we have realized that no agency can do it alone. Therefore, we came together and mapped out strategies that will help nip crime in the bud in the FCT and this has been the basis of our success,” he said.

Speaking on infrastructure and traffic regulations, the Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority, Engineer Umar Gambo Jibrin, said everything was being done to ensure that the infrastructure provided in the city met international standards.