As Christmas lights flicker across Abuja and families prepare for the usual end-of-year travel rush, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has rolled out one of its most visible security operations in recent memory. Dubbed “Operation Sweep,” the intensified drive targets miscreants, “one-chance” syndicates, illegal motor parks and street beggars, all under the banner of ensuring a peaceful yuletide.
On Monday, senior officials led by Dr. Olumiji Peter (representing the Director of Security Services, Adamu Gwary) visited some of the city’s long-standing blackspots — Apo Bridge, Area 1 Roundabout, Julius Berger Junction and Utako Motor Park — to deliver a clear message: criminal elements will not be allowed to exploit the festive season.
The marching orders, according to officials, come directly from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who has repeatedly demanded zero tolerance for criminality in the territory. “The Minister has given a marching order that all forms of criminality must be crushed,” Gwary’s representative told transport operators and park managers.
The operation is not limited to rhetoric. Security agencies have deployed additional personnel to strategic locations, while motor park operators have been instructed to bar entry to any motorist or commercial driver unable to produce valid identification. The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at Utako Motor Park has publicly aligned itself with the directive, promising to profile all members — especially new entrants — as part of the collective effort.
Beyond the usual suspects of armed robbers and “one-chance” operators, the FCTA has also targeted visible urban poverty. The Enforcement Unit of the Social Development Secretariat reports that 481 beggars have been removed from the streets in the past two weeks alone. Officials insist the intervention is rehabilitative rather than merely punitive: apprehended individuals are being profiled, fed, and offered vocational training where they express willingness to learn.
Yet the scale and timing of the operation have inevitably raised familiar questions among Abuja residents.
For many, the sudden burst of activity feels suspiciously seasonal. “We’ve had blackspots, one-chance kidnappings and beggars on every major junction for years,” said a commercial driver who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Why does the city only remember to ‘sweep’ when people are travelling home for Christmas?”
Critics argue that while the festive-season focus is welcome, the real test of sincerity will come in January and beyond. Will the additional patrols remain once holiday travel subsides? Will the newly profiled beggars actually complete skills acquisition programmes, or will the holding centres simply become temporary warehouses before the streets refill?
Supporters of the initiative, however, point out that visible, sustained pressure during peak criminal periods can disrupt established patterns and buy the city valuable breathing space. They also note that Minister Wike’s characteristically blunt style has produced measurable results in other areas of FCT administration — from demolition of illegal structures to aggressive revenue collection.
For now, the streets of Abuja are witnessing an unusually high police and task force presence, motor parks are displaying new vigilance, and many long-standing nuisances have temporarily disappeared from view. Whether this represents a genuine shift in security posture or merely a well-executed Christmas performance remains an open question — one that January’s quieter days will likely answer.
Until then, the FCT has made its position clear: this yuletide, criminality is not invited to the celebration.
