By Sarah NEGEDU
Henceforth, operators of scrap markets, popularly referred to as pantaker markets, will have to keep records of all buyers and suppliers of scrap items across the markets, if they must continue operating in the Federal Capital Territory.
The measure is part of the profiling plans soon to commence in the territory as was recommended at the last FCT Security Council meeting.
Recalled that the FCT Security Council, had on Jan. 13 announced a two-week suspension of operation of all pantaker markets in the territory, with a pledge to profile all operators within the system.
Speaking at a meeting with officials of pantaker markets’ operators on Friday, Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council, Felix Obuah, revealed that the security agencies have concluded arrangements to kick start the process.
He explained that the move was to ensure effective monitoring and regulation of the operations of all pantaker markets in the FCT.
Obuah is confident that the move will not only help ensure that only legitimate pantakers operators are allowed to operate across the FCT, but will also curb the menace of vandalism in the territory.
The AMMC boss therefore directed pantaker operators to register their buyers, and suppliers stating that, “We want to know who and who supplies you what; who and who are you selling to? Let us have such a register for our record and for security action where necessary,” he said.
He advised the pantaker operators against buying illegal properties and patronising vandals, stressing that there would be not be supply if there was no demand.
He urged them to alert security agencies whenever someone bought something suspicious to sell to them, warning that anyone found with stolen or vandalised items in his shop would be considered a partaker of a crime and would be arrested and prosecuted.
The coordinator revealed that a recent raid across some pantaker markets by the police and other security agencies had led to the recovery of public items worth more than N1 billion.
“Therefore, the FCT Administration and security agencies have decided that all pantaker operators must be registered and profiled. This will enable us to identify the genuine ones and determine who is doing what, how and where.
“This will also ensure effective monitoring and regulation of pantaker activities by both security agencies, Abuja Market Management Ltd and AMMC,” he said.
The AMMC boss also advised the operators to come under one acceptable platform or union for easy interface with government and security agencies.
Also, Mr Adamu Gwary, Director, Security Services Department, FCT Administration, said that only pantaker operators that were recognised by the administration would be profiled and allowed to reopen.
Gwary added that all illegal pantaker operators must be registered and recognised by the administration, and then profiled by security agencies before they would be allowed to operate.
On his part, the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Mr Olatunji Disu, said that the profiling of the pantaker operators would begin on Feb. 1.
“It is a disgrace that this kind of thing is happening here, in the FCT, and we have made up our minds to ensure that it stops. We are not going to stop until we bring sanity in pantaker business.
“We are going to profile you to get a list of people that we think are capable enough to be trusted with the business of pantaker in the FCT,” he said.
Disu advised the operators to always ask whoever comes to sell to them, where the person got the items from, the receipt and who sold it to them.
“This will enable security agencies to trace all suspects involved in the supply of stolen or vandalised items,” he added.
Responding, the National Chairman of Pantaker Operators, Abbas Bello, pledged the full support of the operators to the ongoing efforts to sanitise their operation.
Bello noted that there were criminal elements masquerading as pantaker operators in FCT, adding that the move would help to remove the bad eggs among them.
Also, the Secretary of the group, Malam Salisu Abubakar, said that the association would work with the security agencies to stop all forms of vandalism in the FCT.
Similarly, the Secretary of Mpape Pantaker, Mohammed Kashim, pointed out that pantaker contributes to the development of the FCT, through job creation, and urged government to fish out the criminals that were giving pantaker business a bad in the FCT.
