FCTA Suspends Pantaker Markets, Restricts Scavenging To Dumpsites

Worried over the continuous vandalism of public facilities, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has placed two weeks suspension on pantaker markets to give room to Security agencies to profile them.

The FCTA also banned the operation of scavengers, popularly known as Baban- bola in the City Center, restricting their activities to only the dumpsites in the outskirts of the city and the suburbs.

FCT Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, stated this in Abuja while briefing the FCT Minister’s Press Corps on the resolutions reached by the FCT Security Committee Meeting to stem the tide of vandalism in Abuja.

Pantaker markets are designated markets for trading fairly used items like furniture, electronic gadgets, and other scrap materials.

According to the CP, all the security agencies have been directed to enforce this order to ensure that only legitimate profiled Pantaker operators are allowed to operate in the territory.

“The ban on scrap metal dealers was to enable the authorities to profile them and allow only those who are legitimate to operate. All security agencies have been tasked with ensuring that this order is enforced beginning from Tuesday, January 14. 2025”

The Commissioner of Police warned that henceforth, anyone caught scavenging outside the dumpsites would be charged to court for economic sabotage and attempted murder, describing the removal of manholes as an act that could lead to accident, and by extension death.

“We are pushing them out of the city center only to the dump sites where they can operate at the dump sites outside the city and the suburbs. They are scavengers. They don’t have anything to do within the city center”.

“The activities of the vandals are enough to kill residents of the Federal Capital Territory because they remove all these manholes and while driving at night you may not know that they have been removed and it is capable of causing death. So they will be charged for economic sabotage and even at times, if possible, attempted murder.

“Vandalizing public infrastructure is vandalizing our joint property. Numbers have been given out. If you see anything, say something. Let’s join hands to ensure that we protect all government infrastructures, Disu said.”

Responding to questions on the activities of “One-chance” operators, the CP hinted that the Nigeria Police Force recovered over 20 operational vehicles used by the criminals in 2024, and reiterated commitment of the force to sustain patrols and adopt more strategies to keep Abuja safer.

Remi Johnson, Edited By Grace Namiji