Crime
PHOTOS: FCT Police Parade 300 Suspects in Abuja, Intensify Crackdown on Robbers, ‘One-Chance’ Operators
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command arrested about 300 people during a one-day raid on suspected criminal hideouts, uncompleted buildings, scavenger points and shanties across Abuja.
FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Sanusi, said the operation was carried out over concerns about traffic r%bbery, housebreaking, stealing, car theft, phone snatching and “one-chance” syndicates operating around major intersections and traffic corridors.
He said, “Today, as you can see, we have conducted raiding in all the nooks and crannies of the FCT-uncompleted buildings, scavengers’ points, and other shanties that are not recognized by the government.
“These people have been constituting a menace: traffic r%bbery, housebreaking, stealing, and other heinous crimes. We have been able to get about 300 of them just in a day.”
Items recovered during the operation included large quantities of illicit dr¥gs and dangerous weaapons, including knives. Sanusi also warned people without legitimate business in Abuja to return to their states of origin.
He said the police would work with the judiciary for swift prosecution, while the FCT Social Welfare Department would assist in rehabilitating and repatriating non-resident vagrants where necessary.
On whether the crackdown would continue, Sanusi said, “This is going to be perpetual. We are not going to stop. Even as you go after them, new ones still keep coming. So we are going to see who will get tired first. It’s going to be continuous.”
Addressing their welfare, he said, “They are human beings, and we will treat them as human beings because we owe them that responsibility.”
He added, “Only the court will prove their guilt. We are mindful of their rights as suspects, not criminals. This is FCT; we do things differently.”
The Commissioner said the arrested individuals would be distributed across various divisional cells to prevent overcrowding and health risks, while urging the public to provide information that could help the police identify remaining criminal hideouts.
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