Following the spate of kidnapping in the nation’s capital, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, yesterday summoned a town hall meeting in Bwari Area Council, one of the hot spots of kidnapping in the FCT.
Wike said he was ready to make the FCT hot for kidnappers and other criminal elements.
The Minister said President Bola Tinubu was concerned about the insecurity in the FCT and had given a marching order to contain it.
He said, “Security is one of the key priorities of Mr. President’s administration. Yesterday, Mr. President summoned a high-level security meeting, which includes all the Service Chiefs, the Minister of Defence, and my humble self, because of recent attacks, particularly in Bwari. And so, currently, it is one of the key priorities that Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda will want to face squarely.
“It is no longer going to be business as usual. Everything has to be done to protect lives and property. Without the protection of lives and property, then we have no business in government. My coming here today is to assure you that we are very serious. All those criminals, bandits, I want to tell them, enough is enough.
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“We will do everything in our power to make sure that we will not allow this to happen again. That is why just this morning, Mr. President gave me approval, to provide everything required for the security agencies. And just like what Etsu Bwari and Sarkin Bwari said, it is not by merely talking, we are serious.”
During the town hall meeting, Wike maintained that FCT, with the help of security agencies, will make Bwari Area Council and FCT in general, unconducive for criminal activities.
The Minister noted that the informants of the bandits who are living amongst the people will soon face the wrath of the security agencies, saying the informants will no longer sleep.
He assured that the town hall meeting will be held in all the six area councils of the FCT. The Bwari meeting will be followed by the Kuje town hall meeting on Thursday (today).
The Minister, while soliciting stakeholders’ support to get rid of bandit activities in FCT, urged Nigerians and the public not to popularise ransom payment, saying such will embolden the criminals to do more.
Wike also implored the media to support the security drive of the present administration.
He charged the traditional institutions to assist the security agencies with the right information to tackle the bandits.
The minister while delivering President Tinubu’s heartfelt solidarity message, told the Bwari Area Council residents that the president has given him a matching order to provide all necessary support to all security agencies, saying his administration would also support the council with vehicles among other logistics.
He asked the locals to also give out credible information where necessary to help the security agencies.
Present at the meeting were all heads of security agencies in the territory led by FCT Commissioner of Police, Garba Haruna, Sarkin Bwari, Etsu Bwari, Senator representing FCT during Eight and Ninth National Assembly, Philip Aduda, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, Imam, Bwari Area Council, hunters and vigilante who are members of the Joint Task Force in the council.
Recall that gunmen abducted and killed some residents, including 13-year-old teenager, Folashade Ariyo, who was kidnapped alongside 10 residents of the Sagwari Estate Layout in Dutse-Alhaji Area of Abuja, and Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level student of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who was kidnapped alongside 22 other in Bwari.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya, disclosed that the council comprised 16 districts, and over 90 villages and hamlets, adding that the size and difficult terrain of the Council made the security challenges more difficult.
He, therefore, requested the provision of needed logistics to security agencies in the area, adding that they would require at least a vehicle and 7 motorcycles in each district for effective patrol and surveillance, while also appealing for training and retraining of hunters and villagers, engaged by the council for their security.
