FCT To Send Hawkers, Beggars To Jail

FCT-ABUJA

The FCT Special Task Force on Abuja Environmental Protection, retired Sqn. Ldr. Abdullahi Monje, on Monday warned that street hawkers and beggars risk going to jail, if found guilty by the court.

“We have already given them the benefit of the doubt and now the time has elapsed. What is left now is to enforce the relevant municipal laws,” Monjel warned when he led members of the team on a “show of force” of its security personnel at Jabi and Wuse Districts of Abuja.

“Anybody we arrest will be taken to court and prosecuted accordingly.

“If somebody refuses to comply with the rules and regulations based on what we have said, then we will arrest the person accordingly.

“As a matter of fact, we don’t want hawkers and beggars within the city centre of Abuja. They should keep away from the streets of Abuja,” he said.

According to him, anybody that wishes to come out, we are ready for the person as we will take him/her to court where he will be prosecuted and taken to jail.

Monjel said that the team has also started sensitisation for operators of Keke Napep, unpainted taxis and motorcycles.

“The phase two is Keke Napep; then unpainted taxis. However, we don’t want to start with unpainted taxis, Keke Napep riders now.

“We want to give adequate time for sensitisation, so that by the time we start impounding, nobody will say ‘I didn’t know’,” warned the Monjel.