Sequel to the rising security breaches in some parts of the country, especially in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), President Bola Tinubu has met with service chiefs and other heads of security agencies at the State House, Abuja.
LEADERSHIP reports that kidnappers have stepped up attacks in the last few days, kidnapping several persons and killing some of the hostages to pressure families into paying the huge ransoms they are demanding.
At the meeting were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogala; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and heads of some other security outfits.
Although there has been no official briefing on the meeting, it is believed that President Tinubu and his security chiefs will be reviewing recent security situations in parts of the country and proposing ways of rein in the criminals, including kidnappers and bandits.
The meeting is also coming few hours after the minister of the FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike, convened his own security appraisal meeting over the brutal actions unleashed on residents of the capital territory kidnappers, who have resorted to mindless killing of their victims and making demands for heavy ransoms.
Kidnapping Disturbing, Ungodly, Says President
Also yesterday, President Tinubu condemned the recent spate of kidnappings and bandit attacks, describing the development as disturbing, ungodly, and sinister.
Receiving a delegation of a renowned Islamic Movement, Jam’iyyatu Ansaridden, at the State House, in Abuja, Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, said while security agencies are acting with dispatch to immediately address the current challenge, all required resources, policies and plans will be rolled out soon for the massive education of Nigerian youths.
The president said education is the antidote to the troubles agitating the nation.
“There is no weapon against poverty that is as potent as learning. I can assure you that we are here to change the life of our people. We are here to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity.
“We are dedicated to building a lasting peace with a focus on the comprehensive education of our children. We will get our teachers and their owners involved in an education process that will be relevant to the future of this country. It is important. Knowledge brought me here with your prayers and your support. Without knowledge, there is nothing to generate hope for mankind,” Tinubu said.
The president also emphasized that it was important to promote updated knowledge through existing Islamic learning institutions for youths in Northern Nigeria to speed up development in the region, in Nigeria, and throughout Africa.
“Please embark on proper education of our youths. Kidnapping and banditry are not the way of God. Shedding one another’s blood is bad. And there can be no development without peace. It is only in the area of peace that we can eliminate poverty. We must work for peace in order for our economy to grow better,” the president added.
In his remarks, the Jam’iyyatu Ansaridden leader, Sheikh Muhammad Lamine Niass, encouraged the president to continue implementing his reform initiatives while affirming that his movement, which is reputed for its promotion of peace and tolerance, would continue to pray for Nigeria’s peaceful development.
IGP Orders DIG To Crush Kidnappers
Following the recent abductions in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and other similar incidents across the country, the inspector-general of police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the deputy inspector-general, Operations, to tackle the challenge head-on.
According to the Force public relations officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the IGP gave this order during a meeting with the Force management team and tactical squads at Force headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
At the meeting, the IGP expressed deep concern at the heinous crimes and stressed the need for decisive action to curb them.
During the meeting which centred on a comprehensive review of current security challenges, strategic planning, and the deployment of tactical resources to tackle emerging threats, the IGP emphasized the need for a coordinated and intelligence-driven approach to address the evolving security landscape.
ACP Adejobi said, “The IGP ordered the deputy inspector-general of police, Department of Operations, to personally coordinate the upscaled security strategies emplaced to decimate kidnappers and other criminally minded individuals in the FCT, and immediately restore normalcy.
“In addition to operational strategies, the IGP underscored the significance of community engagement and collaboration with relevant stakeholders to gather information, enhance trust, and foster a collective effort in combating criminal elements.”
…Wike Gives Area Council Chairmen Marching Orders
On his part, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike yesterday called an emergency security meeting following the rising kidnapping incidents in the nation’s capital.
LEADERSHIP reports that gunmen have been invading communities, breaking into people’s houses and picking them up from the comfort of their homes.
Incidents which created tension recently in the capital city were the reports of the deaths of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, who was kidnapped along with 22 others in the Bwari Area of the FCT, and 13-year-old Folasade Ariyo, who was kidnapped alongside eleven others, among whom were three of her siblings, and their mother at the Sagwari Estate Layout, in Dutse-Alhaji Area of Abuja.
Following the killing of Folashade Ariyo and two others, the kidnappers had proceeded to demand N700m ransom for the rest of the victims, after initially demanding N60m, leading the father of the late Folashade, Mr Oladosu Ariyo, to solicit help from the Nigerian Bar Association.
The minister, while speaking at the meeting, assured FCT residents that their safety is guaranteed, that the government was working to support security agents with all that they need to tackle insecurity.
Among those in attendance were the heads of security agencies in the FCT, top officials of FCT Administration, council chairmen and traditional rulers.
Wike, who warned the area council chairmen to be alive to their responsibility at the local levels, stressed the need for the security apparatuses to re-stratigise and redouble their efforts to tame insecurity in the territory.
“All of us are aware of the security situation in the FCT, particularly Bwari and some other areas that have witnessed security challenges. Our concern is that, for the FCT and virtually every Nigerian, we owe a duty to make sure that this place is safe, to 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 are 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.
“So, we will put our heads together and come up with solutions. So, for the press, it is just for you to know that we are not sleeping; security agencies are also not sleeping. We will provide every support that they require in order to allay the fears of the citizens”, he said.
Wike also stated that he will not be happy to receive news of area council chairmen abdicating their responsibilities and travelling, especially while there are security challenges in their various councils.
“We have gotten reports that council chairmen travel anytime, and then if anything happens, of course, they will not call anybody’s name; they will call the FCT minister.
“However, we cannot fold our hands; we have invited them to a meeting this afternoon to see how we can also resolve the problem,” he said.
Similarly, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has commenced sanitation of all motor parks across the territory to rid the nation’s capital of proliferation of illegal motor parks, resolve one-chance security challenges and tackle environmental degradation, among others.
The director of FCTA Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima made this known yesterday during sensitisation of managers of the motor parks ahead of full enforcement slated for today.
Galadima explained that the action was also part of arrangements to clean up the parks and get rid of illegal ones in line with the vision of the Nyesom Wike-led FCT Administration.
“We want to make sure that the operators of these motor parks comply with the provisions of the FCT plan, as well as development guidelines, in order to make the city more aesthetically pleasing and functional,” he said.
The director further stated that after sanitising the parks and their surroundings, relevant agencies of government would be handed the parks to prevent further abuses.
He also suggested that the cleaned-up parks would be given to the Transportation Secretariat for allocation to competent managers.
The secretary of the Command and Control Unit, department of security service, FCTA, Dr. Peter Olumuji, on his part, noted that if motor parks were not used for intended purposes, they would turn into areas that harbour criminals.
Gunmen Kill 7 In Nasarawa Community Attack
Seven people are feared dead following an attack on Kudu community of Toto local government area of Nasarawa State.
Kudu, it was learnt, is mostly inhabited by Gbagyi farmers.
LEADERSHIP gathered that armed militiamen attacked the community on Sunday, leaving tales of deaths and destruction in their wake.
A source who spoke to our correspondent in confidence said that several houses were razed, displacing an undisclosed number of households in the attack.
Another source said the incident was as a result of an encroachment of Bassa group on a community where Gbagyi people have settled in order to carry out farming activities.
He said tension had been brewing for long over the development until it eventually boiled over.
Recall that a conflict between Ebira and Bassa ethnic groups in the affected local government area had spanned many years.
The conflict, it was further learnt, had pushed out the Bassa from across many communities in Toto local government area.
The Bassa have been calling for the intervention of stakeholders in the state to enable them return to the areas.
Meanwhile, Governor Abdullahi Sule has promised to wade into the unfolding security breaches.
According to Governor Sule, even though the matter was not part of the agenda for the meeting, it had become necessary to bring it up before the executive council because some lives were lost during the incursion.
While assuring that the security agencies have already been deployed to the area, the governor disclosed plans to convene a meeting involving Gbagyi, Ebira and Bassa communities with a view to address overriding distrust and perceived acrimony existing among them.
“The security agencies have already moved in there, and we will be able to get to the bottom of it. But most importantly the moment we return from Abuja we are going to have a meeting of the Gbagyi community, the Ebira and Bassa communities so that at the end of the day, we have to bring this to an end. It cannot go on in this unfortunate cycle,” he stated.
Our correspondent could not immediately get the police authorities in the state to shed light on the development as the public relations officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, did not respond to calls.
