Fcta Detains 47 POS Roadside Agents

47 Point of Sale (POS) agents were detained by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in Abuja for operating their businesses on public streets and in other unauthorized locations.

The information was stated in a statement that Mr. Ikharo Attah, Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, released on Sunday in Abuja.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the FCT Administration recently issued a warning that POS operators’ indiscriminate behavior, particularly on the streets and in non-commercial places, would no longer be tolerated.

Additionally, the government said that there had been complaints from locals and intelligence reports regarding unusual individuals roving specific neighborhoods while posing as POS operators.

Speaking to the 47 operators who had been detained on the grounds of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Attah said that Malam Muhammad Bello, the FCT Minister, was worried about the security concerns surrounding the POS industry but had no plans to cease operations.

The minister’s assistant said the detained company owners may go before a Mobile Court since they had broken various environmental rules by conducting their operations in prohibited locations.

He explained to them that while doing POS business outside of commercial zones and without discrimination in residential areas was against the law.

“Reports on the arrested operators will go to the minister to assess if they comply with the requirements of the city that would not provide criminals the cover to pass themselves off as POS operators,” he added.

Malam Kaka Bello, the AEPB’s assistant director for enforcement, pointed out that the city’s environmental rules restricted commercial activity in residential zones and on public property.