Africa-Press – Nigeria. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and tighten security across Abuja as the festive season approaches.
The directive came as the FCT administration officially resumed “Operation Sweep” on Tuesday; a joint security exercise aimed at tackling crime in the territory.
Speaking at the relaunch, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, said the minister had provided full support to ensure the operation runs smoothly.
According to him, the team includes personnel from the military, police, Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies deployed to different parts of the city.
Dantawaye said the minister’s priority is the safety of residents and visitors during the yuletide.
“The FCT minister, His Excellency Nyesom Wike, has given complete support, especially in terms of logistics for this operation,” he said.
“By the time we leave here today, funds for fueling, servicing of vehicles and allowances for the men will be available.”
He added that the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police had also approved the exercise, which is designed to curb criminal activities, especially in areas vulnerable to kidnapping and banditry.
The commissioner also noted that the taskforce will pay attention to suspicious movements and people posing as beggars with criminal motives.
“We were trying to perfect our legal requirements to that effect before we can delve into that. But naturally, we wouldn’t want to have people loitering around the cities and by way of claiming that they are beggars. Because we know that amongst people that come, some of them that claim that they are beggars are not exactly beggars.
“Most people come with criminal intent. “We’re going to profile them and see that we will take off the streets that are criminally minded, even if they claim they are beggars. But for the beggars, well, we work closely, like I told you, looking at the legal backing, working closely with Abuja environmental protection bodies to see if there’s a need for us to take them away from the streets or not”.
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