The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered a major crackdown on street beggars, scavengers, illegal traders, one chance syndicates and other suspected criminal elements across Abuja.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister, Lere Olayinka on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the minister said the FCTA has launched Operation Sweep Abuja Clean to remove all public nuisances and restore sanity to the city.

Wike made it clear that the streets of Abuja are not a place for scavengers, beggars, and those involved in criminal acts like “one-chance” syndicates and drug dealers.

“In line with the Abuja Environmental Protection Act, and other relevant laws, the FCT Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike has directed the immediate evacuation of miscreants, street beggars and traders, scavengers and other criminal elements from the FCT.

“Our nation’s capital should be a secured symbol of pride and beauty, not a site for street beggars and scavengers, most of whom are agents of criminal elements.

“To achieve this, a Joint Task Force, comprising security agencies and relevant FCT SDAs have been deployed to apprehend any persons found begging, scavenging, loitering or engaging in other acts inimical to the well-being of the residents. Arrangements have been made to profile them and hand them over to their home state governments.

“Security of lives and properties of residents of the FCT is of paramount importance to the government, we must all join hands to achieve a safer Abuja,” the statement reads in part.

According to the statement, everyone has a role to play in keeping the communities safe.

Operatives of the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested nine suspected illegal miners in Niger State.

They were arrested in Kaniyan Village, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, following actionable intelligence on their illegal mining activities.

The suspects comprise five Chinese and four Nigerians.
The Chinese suspects are: Wu Ping, Xu XianLiang, Xu Aimin, Xeu Cihuo, Liu Changhua, while the Nigerians are, Ibrahim Abdullahi, Sunday Oladele, Destiny John, and Bulus Samuel.

Items found in their possession upon their arrest include, one Stamford power generating set, one super quality power generating set, Inlong power generating set, three industrial crushing machines, three small industrial crushing machines, one Quangutaigaajing JIareshebei gold melting machine, four small dumper trucks, three pay loaders, three Elepaq water pumping machine, one Tacoma truck, one Lexus 470 SUV, three diesel rubber tanks, one Taiyo power generating set, one Senwei SP6800 small power generating set, one Laison 40000x power generating set, one welding machine (Bx1-400), one 25.2kg activated carbon chemical, four drilling machines and one kaishan KSCY-33018 power generating set.
Others are: one JMC power generating set, one Yuchai power generating set, one filing machine, four gas powered power generating sets, one extractor, two big gas cylinders, one Honda pumping machine, one Super Zandaz water pumping machine, one Max Mec welding machine, two cartons of explosives, three cap for blasting stones, a white-coloured detection device, two small scales, two mining head gear/safety cap, a laptop computer and seven bottles of chemicals.

They will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

Justice Maryann Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, fixed July 17 for ruling on an application filed by the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello seeking to travel out of the country on health grounds.

At the resumed hearing of the money laundering case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission against the former governor, his counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, told the court that he had filed an application, dated 19th June, 2025 and filed on June 20, 2025.

“It seeks an order for the release of the 1st defendant/applicant’s international passport by the Registrar of the court to enable him to travel for medical attention,” he said.

The counsel said the application was predicated on 13 grounds in the face of the motion paper and supported by 22 paragraphs affidavit deposed to by Yahaya Bello himself.

The EFCC Counsel had filed a counter-affidavit, saying granting the request could delay further proceedings.

Daudu, SAN, in response to the prosecution team’s counter-affidavit, said the Defendant’s team had also filed a further affidavit of 20 paragraphs, filed on July 7, 2025, and deposed to by the applicant himself with two exhibits.

“Exhibits C is the Certified True Copy of the ruling of your lordship, admitting the defendant to bail and Exhibit D is the ruling of the Federal High Court also admitting him to bail.

“We adopt these documents in urging your lordship to grant our application,” he stated.

Responding to the Prosecution’s argument that the application was an abuse of court process in the sense that a similar application was filed at Federal High Court, Daudu argued that it could not be an abuse of court process.