Abuja, Nigeria
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has imposed a ban on scavengers operating within the city of Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
FCT commissioner of police, Olatunji Disu, announced the development following a weekly security meeting.
According to Disu, the scavengers are now restricted to working only on dumpsites situated on the outskirts and in the suburbs of the city.
The primary reason for this restriction, as outlined by Disu, is the ongoing issues with vandalism of public infrastructure and the consistent disregard for the law by scavengers.
“All security agencies have been tasked with ensuring that this order is enforced, beginning from January 14,” he said.
Olatunji Disu reiterated that individuals apprehended for vandalizing public infrastructure would face stringent legal actions.
The committee has decided that such suspects will be charged in court, with potential offences including economic sabotage and, in certain cases, attempted murder.
Disu acknowledged that previous penalties, which were usually limited to community service or fines, have not been effective in deterring these crimes.
As a result, the FCTA has opted to implement more severe legal measures to combat the problem and ensure that those involved are held accountable.
“The punishment given to them is so menial that we notice that we are recycling these criminals,” the police commissioner said.
“The activities of the vandals are enough to kill residents of the FCT because when they remove manhole covers on the road, it can cause the death of people driving at night.
“Numbers have been given out; if you see anything, say something.”
The commissioner added that the committee also banned the operation of scrap markets, popularly known as pantaker, across the FCT for two weeks, beginning Tuesday.
Pantaker is a local slang for a market where fairly used items and scrap iron, including furniture and home appliances, are sold.
He explained that the two-week suspension was to allow security agencies to profile the pantaker operators.
This, he said, would ensure that only legitimate operators operate in Pantakers across the FCT.
