The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has declared that he will not allow bail for kidnappers in the territory. He also urged the council chairmen to improve the security situation in their areas of jurisdiction or risk sanctions.

Wike made these statements on Friday during a security town hall meeting at the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). He said he was determined to discourage the granting of bail to kidnappers, who he described as a threat to the peace and stability of the FCT.

No Bail for Kidnappers

“The court would grant kidnappers bail in the past. I will not allow it again. We will ensure that the kidnapper is punished. How will the judge grant a kidnapper bail?” Wike asked.

He said he would be calling meetings of all traditional leaders, meeting with all council chairmen and meeting with all security agencies to address the security challenges in the FCT.

He also assured the residents that the government would provide everything that security agencies require to help them to perform their duties.

“They don’t have the needed logistics and communication gadgets, yet we want the security agencies to perform wonders, we want the officers to perform miracles. If they don’t have information, the security agencies will not perform them; if they don’t have information the officers will not perform those,” he said.

Monthly Security Meetings

Wike also directed the chairmen of the six area councils in the FCT to commence monthly security meetings to improve the security situation in their areas of jurisdiction. He said he would hold any chairman who fails to hold the monthly security meeting responsible for any security breach.

In addition, he told the stakeholders to notify him should any of the chairmen fail to hold the monthly security meeting.

“If there is no monthly meeting held in terms of security in the councils, I should be aware, and I will hold that chairman responsible for any security breach. If you do your job, I do my job, traditional leaders do their own jobs, and security agencies do their own job, we won’t have problems. But if you don’t do your own part, I don’t do my own part, he does not do his own part, then we are bound to have security problems,” he said.

He also promised to construct a police station and some access roads as requested by the council chairman, Christopher Maikalangu.

Don’t Politicize Security

The Chief of Karshi, Alhaji Ismaila Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of traditional leaders at the meeting, called for working synergy between security leaders and community structures. He warned politicians against provocative statements with respect to the security situation in the FCT.

“Please do not politicize the security situation in the FCT. Leave the security challenge out of your politics. God forbid, if there is problem here, all of you will run back to your states. We don’t have anywhere to go, so please, don’t create problems for us here,” he pleaded.

He also asked the minister to compel the council chairmen to hold the mandatory monthly peace and security meetings.

People from various stakeholders, including security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organizations, and residents of the FCT, attended the security town hall meeting.

They aimed the meeting at finding lasting solutions to the security challenges in the FCT, especially the rising cases of kidnapping and banditry.

The minister and the stakeholders expressed optimism that the security situation in the FCT would improve with the collective efforts of all the parties involved. They also appealed to the public to cooperate with the security agencies and provide them with useful information to combat crime and criminality in the territory.

Source: Vanguard