The FCT Police Command has raised concerns about the involvement of kids in highway robbery operations in Abuja. Some criminal gangs hire children and pay them as little as ₦500 to rob motorists during traffic gridlock.
During an engagement with citizens, the FCT Commissioner of Police said that the minors, many of whom masquerade as beggars, are allegedly employed to distract drivers while adult gang members take goods from their vehicles.
According to the police head, the juveniles approach vehicles pretending to seek alms or aid, attracting the attention of motorists, while other members of the gang work from the opposite side of the vehicle.
“These larger organisations are recruiting these children. They would be the ones who would stop the vehicle or approach you as if they were begging you for anything, distracting you so that while you were paying attention to them, these other ones would be stealing from the opposite side of your vehicle,” he explained.
The commissioner claimed that successful thefts reward youngsters with ₦500 to ₦1,000.