January 16, (THEWILL) – The Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has assured residents that his administration and security agencies are not sleeping over the rising cases of criminal activities in the FCT, urging them not to panic.
Wike gave the assurances on Tuesday, during an emergency security meeting, which was held amid upsurge in kidnapping and other violent crimes in the FCT.
Kidnappers had taken over parts of Bwari Area Council since December 23, 2023, launching daring attacks. The latest incident is the abduction of six sisters and their father by bandits on January 13, 2024.
The killing of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, one of the girls, has generated anger among Nigerians. The sisters were among the 23 others abducted by the bandits, who reportedly killed a policeman and injured another one during the attack.
One Folorunsho Ariyo was killed alongside Nabeeha by the hoodlums and their corpses and two other unidentified bodies were reportedly dumped around a former military checkpoint behind Idah Junction on the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
The gunmen had released the girls’ father with an instruction to raise N60m ransom before January 12. Two days later, the hoodlums killed Nabeeha, the eldest of the siblings and two other victims.
They also jacked up the ransom to N100m after the bereaved father of the murdered girl informed them they were able to raise about N30m. Nabeeha, who was murdered in cold blood, was a 400-level student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
On January 7, at about 7:30pm, about 11 persons including a mother and four children, were kidnapped in the Sagwari Estate Layout, in the Dutse-Alhaji axis of the FCT by gunmen reportedly dressed in military uniforms. The kidnappers were said to have raided two compounds and a hotel where they snatched the receptionist and the barman.
On December 18, 2023, gunmen kidnapped a Nigerian musician, Adeyinka Adeboye, also known as Boyebest and his crew members, after a performance, demanding a ransom of N10 million each for their release.
Also, the President of the Abuja Newspaper Distributors’ Association, John Emmanuel, was kidnapped in a ‘one-chance’ vehicle in the Giri area on December 12. His family and associates coughed out some millions of naira to secure his release.
The dare-devil bandits similarly attacked the Zone 5 segment of the Kubwa Extension 2 Relocation Estate along Arab Road on December 10, where they abducted a woman and her three children, including a six-month-old baby, after shooting indiscriminately, causing pandemonium in the area. Four days earlier, unknown gunmen snatched two landlords in the Asokoro Extension area, demanding N20 million ransom for their victims.
Speaking on Tuesday, at the meeting, Wike said: “We are all aware of the security situation in the Federal Capital Territory, particularly Bwari and some other areas where we have witnessed security challenges. I am also aware that sometimes too, the press overblows what is happening, but indeed, we owe a duty to make sure that FCT is safe.
“We will do all we can, and we assure Nigerians who reside here that there is no need for panic. We are taking every step to make sure that those challenges are things that we must resolve.
“So, this meeting is practically to look into such challenges and see how we will be able to resolve the problems, and that is why we invited all the Council Chairmen because they also have a responsibility in their various area councils.
“We will put our heads together and come up with solutions. For the press, this is just for you to know that we are not sleeping, and security is also not sleeping. We will give every support that they require to take away the fears of the citizens or residents.
“This time around, we will not be happy, where Area Council Chairmen will leave their responsibilities and travel out. We have gotten reports that Council Chairmen travel anytime and then, if anything happens, they will not call anybody’s name except the FCT Minister.
“Recently, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) embarked on strike, and it is not our fault but the area councils. Primary schools are under the body of the area councils, but again, it will look as if the ministers are doing nothing, but that is not our responsibility. However, we cannot fold our hands, and we have invited them to this meeting to see how we can resolve the problem.
“So, council chairmen should know that they must live up to their responsibilities. It is not everything that happens; they would say that it is the ministers who have not taken steps. So, for your information, we are doing everything we can to resolve the security challenges we are recently facing.”
About the Author
