‘Why we shut down Abuja panteka market’

The FCT police commissioner CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu has explained that the command shut down the Panteka International Market in Dei -Dei, a suburb of Abuja, the nation’s capital, to ensure proper screening of scrap dealers at the market. CP Disu, while speaking with newsmen on Monday, expressed concern over incessant cases of theft of […]

The FCT police commissioner CP Olatunji Rilwan Disu has explained that the command shut down the Panteka International Market in Dei -Dei, a suburb of Abuja, the nation’s capital, to ensure proper screening of scrap dealers at the market.

CP Disu, while speaking with newsmen on Monday, expressed concern over incessant cases of theft of manhole covers and other government and private facilities by scavengers in the territory.

He said a joint security team went round the scrap dealers’ shops where several stolen items were recovered, even as he said the Panteka International Market will remain closed for two weeks to enable proper profiling of scrap dealers.

He also disclosed that scavengers have been banned from scavenging in the streets of Abuja, adding that the scavengers were henceforth restricted to only dumping sites outside the city centre.

He said any scavenger or individual caught going against the ban will be arrested and prosecuted.

“And it is this premise that the Panteka International Market has been shut down for two weeks so that they can come forward for us to profile them, while scavengers have also been banned from scavenging in any streets of Abuja, the city centre,” he said.

The police commissioner enjoined residents of the FCT to continue to cooperate by giving useful information that will lead to arrest of any hoodlum and scavengers across the territory.

Recall that the FCT minister Nyesom Wike had directed a joint task force to raid scrap dealers’ shops across the FCT to recover stolen manhole covers and other public facilities by scavengers.