Police: Abuja Traffic Robbers Recruit Minors, Pay Them ₦500 To Distract Motorists

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has raised the alarm over the alleged recruitment of minors by criminal gangs to assist in traffic robbery operations across Abuja.

The command said some of the children, who often disguise themselves as beggars, are allegedly paid between ₦500 and ₦1,000 after helping adult members of the gangs steal from motorists caught in traffic.

The FCT Commissioner of Police disclosed this during an engagement with residents, where he explained that the children are used to divert the attention of drivers while other members of the gangs target their valuables.

According to him, the minors approach motorists under the guise of seeking financial assistance, while their accomplices use the distraction to steal from another side of the vehicle.

“These children are being recruited by these bigger ones. They would be the ones that would stop the vehicle or approach you as if they are begging you for something, distracting you so that when you are paying attention to them, these other ones would be stealing from the other side of your vehicle,” he said.

The commissioner said the children receive small payments after successful operations.

“They just meet these people that if they are able to steal anything, they will just give them ₦500 or ₦1,000 for them to go and eat,” he stated.

He also disclosed that some traffic robbery incidents have resulted in serious injuries to victims.

The police chief cited the case of a woman who allegedly lost part of her ear after a robber attempted to remove her earring.

“We have gotten some of them that were responsible for removing a woman’s ear because they went to remove her earring. They pulled it and the ear was cut,” he said.

The commissioner further alleged that some of the minors were brought into Abuja from other states and left there to participate in criminal activities.

“Unfortunately, most of these children were brought in from another state and dumped here for just this purpose,” he claimed.

He explained that the police cannot prosecute the minors in the same manner as adult suspects because of their age.

Instead, the command is working with social welfare authorities to rehabilitate them and facilitate their return to their families.

“When you get them, because of their age, you can’t take them to court. But we already have a place for them with the social welfare so that they can be rehabilitated and reunited with their families,” the commissioner explained.

He added that the police sometimes obtain information from the children to trace the adults suspected of controlling the operations.

“We also talk to them and give them the same ₦1,000 or ₦500 to tell us who is sending them to do the job,” he said.

The police warning comes amid concerns over traffic-related robbery and the alleged exploitation of children in parts of the FCT.

The command said the allegations remain under investigation, while stressing the need to protect and rehabilitate minors involved rather than treating them in the same manner as adult criminals.