The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has removed 607 beggars and mentally challenged persons from the streets of Abuja between July 2025 and January 2026.
The Head of Enforcement at the FCT Social Development Secretariat, Mrs Ukachi Adebayo, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday, saying the operation was carried out by the Operation Sweep Abuja Clean team.
According to her, 583 of those evacuated were beggars, while 23 were individuals with mental health challenges.
Adebayo explained that those apprehended were counselled and profiled before being handed over to their respective state liaison offices for onward return to their states of origin, where they are expected to undergo rehabilitation.
“When we apprehend beggars and mentally challenged individuals, we first counsel and profile them. After that, we take them to their state liaison offices to be returned home for rehabilitation,” she said.
She noted that many of those evacuated often return to the streets, adding that the operation would remain continuous.
“The more you take them out, the more they resurface. Some were driven by insecurity in their states and came to Abuja to seek refuge, but we will continue to apprehend them and take them back,” she added.
Also speaking, the Acting Director of Social Welfare at the Secretariat, Mrs Gloria Onwuka, said some children found begging in Abuja were brought from other states by unidentified individuals who exploit them for profit.
She revealed that some women caught begging with children were not the biological mothers of the children, saying “Begging is now run like a business. Some people hire children from other states, transport them to Abuja early in the morning and put them on the streets to beg. In many cases, the families do not even know what their children are being used for”.
