There’ll be no peace for criminals in FCT, Wike declares

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, yesterday declared war on the criminals threatening the peace in the nation’s capital.

Bandits and other criminal elements have in recent months held sway in some parts of the FCT, killing and kidnapping others.

Speaking at the launch of the Paikon-Kore Road construction in Gwagwalada, FCT, Wike reiterated his administration’s determination to curb the insecurity plaguing the state.

Wike said, “I have assured you before that we are going to take this fight against headlong. Today, you can see that we are not letting them go. I told you all these criminals will run away.

“We will make sure they don’t sleep again. If they say we will not sleep, they too will not sleep. A child that says the mother will not sleep, will he sleep? So, we are taking the war to head on. Let them wait for us, they will see fire for fire,” Wike, who is the immediate past Rivers State Governor, added.

The Minister flagged off the five kilometres of rural roads in the six area councils in Paikon Kore, Gwagwalada Area Council.

Wike, who has planned to construct nine-kilometre roads in each of the six area councils in Gwagwalada, announced that he would do an additional two roads in each area council, making three roads each in every area council.

He said the construction of roads would facilitate security in fighting kidnappers and other criminality assuring that criminals would no longer have a resting place in the FCT.

He assured the residents that President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda was not mere talk but action.

He explained that the road construction was designed to make rural dwellers comfortable and open rural communities for development.

The Minister blamed the spate of rural-urban migration on the lack of roads and other basic amenities needed to make life comfortable.

According to him, the project will not only address insecurity but will equally improve access to schools, enable the evacuating of farm produce to the market, and boost economic activities.

The Minister assured the contractor that funding would not be a problem, stressing that he would accept nothing short of the expected quality.

“Funding will not be a problem but do it well; the people are entitled to quality roads. I will not tell you when I will come here for inspection. I will not also depend on a report from the director overseeing the project. What I will depend on is what I see with my own eyes,” Wike said.

Also speaking, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, pointed out that the lack of access roads in communities had stagnated development in rural areas.

Mahmoud said that construction of the rural roads across the six area councils would not only open the rural communities for trade and commerce, but also improve access to market, health care, and education.

Similarly, the Oversite Director of Satellite Towns Development Department, FCTA, Dr Olusegun Olusa, said benefiting communities were selected due to infrastructural deficit.

Earlier, the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council, Mr Abubakar Giri, commended the Minister for the gesture, which he described as the first rural project to be executed by the FCT minister in the area.

Giri said the road, when completed, would improve security in rural communities due to improved access to communities and boost the economy of the people.

According to him, 90 per cent of the people in the area are farmers, who will benefit immensely from the road projects by evacuating agricultural produce to the market.

On his part, the Chief of the area, the Aguma of Gwagwalada, Mr Mohammad Magaji, acknowledged the Minister for taking the bold step to develop rural communities in the FCT.

Magaji expressed optimism that the project would facilitate development in rural communities which eluded local areas for ages.