By Stanley Onyekwere
A total of 761 street traders/hawkers were arrested by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), with 674 of them prosecuted and convicted, in July alone.
Also, during the period under review, the FCT Administration arrested 172 beggars / destitute and 72 minors respectively.
According to the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, who made this disclosure after the FCT Operations briefing meeting on Monday, said that 31 out of the convicted traders were sentenced to various terms of prison.
He further revealed that the administration collected a total of 31,166.93 tons of solid waste and deposited at the designated disposal sites, within the month of July.
This, the minister said it was able to record, despite the heavy raining season that has made disposal of waste at dump site a bit difficult.
“The Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) inspected 1,976 premises for proper sanitation; while in the process 85 premises were fumigated within the same period.
“Hard times await anybody involved in environmental nuisances in the entire 8,000 square kilometers of the Territory,” the minister was quoted in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule.
