The streets of the capital city of Nigeria are writing a new narrative. It is an administration committed to restoring the city’s honor, one street at a time, not the beggars who persistently tap at tinted windows at every crossroads or the hawkers who weave across traffic peddling bottled water and fireworks.
Barrister Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) minister and a man known for his tough stance on urban order, is at the center of this movement. Abuja will no longer be the “capital of beggars” in Nigeria, and that is his explicit purpose this time.
“War has been declared by us.” At Katampe, it started with a vow that broke through the din of construction at the flag-off of an access road to the Judges’ Quarters. Wike, flanked by security chiefs and dignitaries, didn’t hold back.
“Abuja is becoming a city of beggars,” he said. Say to your brother or sister to leave right away if you know they are pleading here. We will start removing them next week. We have declared war.
According to the Minister, begging on the street is a cover for exploitation and crime, not charity. The poorest people in Nigeria have long been the target of syndicates, who traffic children from far areas and dump them at crossroads throughout Abuja, from Gwarimpa to Asokoro. Some beggars are thought by authorities to be informants for “one chance” robbers and pickpockets.
Wike remarked, “It is embarrassing that when people enter our capital, they see beggars lining up at every intersection.” Some people are criminals. Others pose as ill. We will not permit it.
The operation started before the dust from his speech had cleared, as he had promised. Operation Sweep Abuja Clean, as it has come to be known, saw police trucks and paramilitary convoys roll out around the city by Monday.
Former Police Commissioner Olatunji Disu is in the forefront of the effort, supported by teams from the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Department of State Service (DSS), the Military Police, and other organizations. Their short? Easy: walk around every corner.
“We will search every black spot, bridge, and hiding place for the first two weeks,” Disu informed his soldiers before daybreak.
Four days later, the numbers—210 beggars in custody, 58 women, 72 children, and 80 men—shocked even seasoned officials. A decades-old issue was exposed in a striking way at the FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre in Kuchikon, Bwari Area Council, when the arrested were bussed in.
In Kuchikon, Bwari, the effects of decades of poverty and neglect are evident at the FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre. Every day, buses arrive, carrying people in rags, infants clutching weary moms, and wide-eyed kids who are unable to identify the villages from where they originated.
As she observed the processing of new arrivals, Gloria Onwuka, Acting Director of the Social Welfare Department, remarked, “What we found is even worse than we thought.”
In remote communities, many of the youngsters were farmed out by their parents. Women can pretend to be ill. After the day is over, certain syndicates get the money. It is organized exploitation.
One boy, who was around nine years old, told a volunteer that he came from Kano but was unable to identify the particular village. “We are taken in a bus by a man,” he muttered. “If we don’t have enough money, we won’t eat,” he says.
“The majority of the kids were employed,” Onwuka disclosed. Some families do, in fact, hire out their children, we found out. After driving into communities and giving parents a few thousand naira, syndicates transport the kids into Abuja at first light and leave them out to beg at roundabouts. Again, they disappear at night.
One woman, she remembers, claimed to have breast cancer and needed money for surgery. Our female policemen did not untie the bandage. Not even a small scrape.
The connections between petty criminality and street begging have long been discussed by locals. Today’s beggar tapping your window could be a pickpocket’s clue tomorrow.
“We think many are connected to petty theft, ‘one chance,’ and other crimes,” stated Adamu Gwary, Director of FCT Security Services, who noted that these individuals take advantage of the city’s compassion.
Gwary also didn’t hold back when speaking at the Kuchikon center, as he was represented by Dr. Peter Olumuji, Secretary of the FCT Command and Control Center. “For this reason, the Minister issued a clear directive: this city needs to be secure. There will be more than just discussion this time.
Critics of the crackdown do exist, though. Residents’ sentiments are divided at one of the busiest intersections in the city, Berger Junction.
A government worker named Mrs. Elizabeth Ikenna claimed, “I’ve been robbed twice by boys who claim to be begging.” I’m all for the Minister. We must put an end to this insanity.
A cab driver named Usman Sule, however, sees another side. There are criminals among us. However, other people are simply hungry. “Where do they go if you arrest them?”
The success of Wike’s large wager will be determined by this delicate balance between law enforcement and compassion.
This raid is different, according to the FCT, than previous ones that merely loaded individuals onto buses and deposited them at state boundaries.
The approach must incorporate rehabilitation and reintegration, according to Social Welfare Director Dr. Sani Rabe.
“Vocational training will be provided here to those who are willing to learn,” he clarified. If at all feasible, we will track down their families. A few will go back to their states. But it’s not that simple. Many people don’t want to return home, and some people have no family left.
In order to make sure that repatriated beggars do not find their way back on fresh buses, the FCTA is also communicating with states.
Wike is fighting urban disorder, and street begging is just one aspect of his fight. Scavengers hauling carts through estates, unpainted taxis, and illegal roadside mechanics are all targeted.
Kaka Bello, AEPB’s Head of Enforcement, supervised the demolition of temporary mechanic sheds under the Garki flyover. He declared, “We cannot call ourselves the seat of government and look like a slum.”
This is the capital of the biggest democracy in Africa. It has to appear to be one.
Another front opened as the street sweep gained momentum. Traffic infractions, unregistered plates, or supporting criminals have resulted in the seizure of more than 280 automobiles, tricycles, and commercial motorcycles.
“Taxis operating without number plates or colors are being pulled off the road,” Dr. Olumuji stated. “One-time” robberies frequently involve these vehicles. We’re also going to shut that down.
It has been made clear by the police, VIO, and traffic agencies in the FCT: without documentation, there can be no vehicle.
Locals report that they are already noticing improvements. There is a noticeable dearth of people in black areas like Gwarinpa Bridge and the bustling Wuse Market.
Olumuji claimed that Abuja was getting too hot for criminals. “The Minister wants a city where law-abiding citizens feel safe and criminals have nowhere to hide,” the statement reads.
Abuja has, of course, tried this before. For a time, the streets were cleared by sweepers working for previous ministers. However, poverty, conflict in the hinterlands, and systemic corruption were the issues that kept coming up.
Wike has instructed his crew, “This time we must get it right.” “We have to continue it, punish the syndicates, and restore the real cases. It’s the only option.
Despite being only a few weeks old, “Operation Sweep Abuja Clean” sends a strong message: Nigeria’s capital will not cede its honor to urban deterioration, street syndicates, or small-time criminals.
It will depend on what happens next—jobs for the desperate, assistance for the weak, and the political will to stick with it—whether this most recent effort becomes a footnote in the city’s cycle of crackdowns or the start of significant change.
The trucks continue to roll for now. The checkpoints are still in place. And the message from the top reverberates through each raid: under Wike’s leadership, Abuja would no longer serve as the capital of the beggars.
