By Philip Yatai

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has banned scavengers from operating in the territory.

The Commissioner of Police in FCT, Olatunji Disu announced the ban while briefing newsmen after the FCT Security Committee Meeting in Abuja on Monday.

Disu said that the scavengers were allowed to operate only on dumpsites located in the outskirts of the city and the suburbs.

“All security agencies have been tasked with ensuring that this order is enforced, beginning from Jan. 14,” he said.

The commissioner added that the committee also banned the operation of pantaker markets for two weeks, beginning from Tuesday across the FCT.

Pantaker is a market for the sales of fairly used items and scrap iron, including furniture and home appliances.

He explained that the two weeks suspension was to allow security agencies to profile the pantaker operators.

This, he said, would ensure that only legitimate operators operate in Pantakers across the FCT.

He said that the committee had concluded that everybody arrested for vandalising public infrastructure would be charged to court and tried for economic sabotage and if possible, attempted murder.

He noted that because the punishment for such offences was usually community service or fine, the offenders return to commit more crimes.

“The punishment given to them is so menial that we notice that we are recycling these criminals.

“The activities of the vandals are enough to kill residents of the FCT because when they remove manhole covers on the road, it can cause the death of people driving at night,” Disu said.

According to him, anybody vandalising public infrastructure is vitalising the joint property of all residents of the FCT.

“Numbers have been given out; if you see anything, say something.

“Let’s join hands to ensure that we protect all government infrastructures.” (NAN)

Edited by Mark Longyen