Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Nyesom Wike, Wednesday declared that the Federal Government will not condone any form of bandit attack in Abuja.
The Minister stated this at a town hall meeting he had with residents of the Bwari Area Council of the FCT, which he convened following increasing reports of kidnapping for ransom and killing in the FCT.
Wike met earlier on Tuesday with heads of security agencies in the FCT, top officials of the administration and Chairmen of the six area councils, where he stated that the administration was aware of the security situation in the territory.
The minister told Bwari people that President Bola Tinubu has directed him to provide all that the security agencies require to end insecurity, since it will no longer be business as usual.
It will be recalled that unidentified armed abducted and killed some residents, including a 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 others in Bwari.
According to Wike 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 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, enough is enough.”
“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 has given me approval, to provide everything required to the security agencies. And just like what Etsu-Bwari and Sarkin-Bwari said, it is not by merely talking, we are serious,” he added.
The FCTA Minister continued that “security agencies will not have any reason to say that they are not equipped; we will provide everything required. I know how big Bwari is, I know that you have boundaries with three states: Niger State, Kaduna State and Nasarawa State. I know because these bandits were chased away from the Northeast, so they are making their way here, we will make it hot for them.”
