Abuja In an attempt to reduce vandalism and improve security, security services in the Federal Capital area (FCT) have completed preparations to profile Pantaker Market operators throughout the area.
Chief Felix Obuah, Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), disclosed this on Friday during a meeting with officials of pantaker market operators in Abuja.
Pantaker markets, known for the sale of fairly used items and scrap materials, including iron, furniture, and home appliances, have recently come under scrutiny due to their alleged links to stolen and vandalized public assets.
Obuah explained that the profiling exercise aims to monitor and regulate Pantaker Market operations effectively, ensuring only legitimate operators are allowed to function.
“The FCT Administration and security agencies have decided that all pantaker operators must be registered and profiled. This will help identify genuine operators and determine their activities,” Obuah said.
He further revealed that a recent raid by police and other security agencies in some pantaker markets led to the recovery of stolen public assets worth over ₦1 billion.
The AMMC Coordinator emphasized the importance of transparency in transactions, urging pantaker operators to maintain records of their buyers and suppliers.
“We want to know who supplies you what and who you are selling to. Let us have such records for security purposes and prompt action when necessary,” he stated.
He cautioned operators against patronizing vandals or purchasing illegal properties, warning that anyone caught with stolen or vandalized items would be prosecuted as an accomplice to a crime.
Obuah also encouraged Pantaker operators to organize themselves under a unified platform or union for seamless interaction with the government and security agencies.
Director of Security Services at the FCT Administration, Mr. Adamu Gwary, noted that only recognized and registered pantaker operators would be allowed to reopen their businesses after undergoing profiling.
FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olatunji Disu, announced that the profiling exercise would commence on February 1.
He emphasized the importance of accountability in the Pantaker business, urging operators to verify the sources of items sold to them.
“We are committed to restoring sanity to pantaker operations in the FCT. Operators must ensure they request receipts and verify the origins of items before purchase,” Disu said.
The National Chairman of Pantaker Operators, Alhaji Abbas Bello, expressed the group’s full support for the initiative, acknowledging the need to remove criminal elements masquerading as legitimate operators.
“We will work with security agencies to sanitize our operations and identify the bad eggs tarnishing our image,” Bello assured.
Similarly, the Secretary of the Mpape Pantaker group, Mr. Mohammed Kashim, highlighted the role of pantaker markets in job creation and FCT development, while calling for collective efforts to eliminate criminal activities.
The profiling exercise underscores the FCT Administration’s commitment to enhancing security and fostering a lawful business environment in the territory.
