The Federal Capital Territory Administration has raised concerns over the increasing use of beggars and destitute persons by criminal networks for the transportation of illicit drugs across Abuja.

The Secretary of the FCT Command and Control Centre, Peter Olumuji, disclosed this on Monday during the ongoing enforcement exercise tagged Operation Sweep.

According to him, security intelligence gathered by authorities indicated that vulnerable persons, including street beggars and physically challenged individuals, were being exploited by criminal elements to move illegal substances, particularly at night.

“The sad thing is that, as vulnerable as they have become, they have also become a useful tool in the hands of criminal elements.

“From intelligence we have gathered over time, they use them to courier illicit drugs, especially at night,” Olumuji said.

He explained that the tactic was aimed at avoiding suspicion from security operatives.

“Who would suspect that a physically challenged person could courier illicit drugs? But they use them to do that,” he added.

Olumuji also alleged that some of those targeted during enforcement operations were being used as informants by criminal gangs operating within the Federal Capital Territory.

He further revealed that enforcement officials had in some cases faced resistance during raids, with suspects reportedly attacking operatives using walking canes and other mobility aids.

The FCTA stated that the operation formed part of broader measures aimed at curbing street begging, improving public order, and strengthening security within the nation’s capital.

Speaking on the exercise, the Head of FCT Enforcement, Ulkacha Adebayo, said 54 persons, comprising 45 adults and nine children, were evacuated during Monday’s operation.

“In the past three months, we were able to evacuate about 835 of them. So, if we add it to the number we have now, it’s about 889,” she said.

Adebayo explained that those removed from the streets were being profiled and taken to government rehabilitation centres, where they would receive welfare support and vocational training.

She added that the enforcement exercise was ongoing in major districts of Abuja, including Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Wuse, and Gwarinpa, under the directive of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

The administration noted that Abuja, like many rapidly expanding cities, continues to face challenges associated with street begging, poverty, displacement, and urban inequality, prompting periodic interventions aimed at restoring order across the capital.