The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), in its bid to effectively protect the lives and property of residents in the entire 8,000 square kilometres of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the FCT Security Committee has resolved to strengthen the existing synergy between the security Agencies and the various communities in the Territory.
The Committee has decided to work with the various communities to build a viable vigilante network in the rural communities, especially those prone to incidences of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism among others.
Similarly, the FCT Security Committee at its meeting held Thursday, in Gwarinpa I District, Abuja, also fine-tune arrangements for the official launching of the resuscitated G-7 Security Joint Operation in September 2022, involving states that are contiguous to the FCT.
The resuscitation of the G-7 Joint Security Operation is expected to fight crime and criminality in all the nooks and crannies of the member states, especially the rising cases of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism in the rural areas of FCT and states bordering the FCT.
The FCT Minister and Chairman of the FCT Security Committee, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, represented at the meeting by the Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani-Aliyu, who spoke with newsmen after the meeting, said the community policing initiative of the Federal Government will be fully encouraged and supported in the FCT.
In a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja, on Friday, by the FCT Director, Information and Communications, Muhammad Hazmat Sule, the Minister of State noted the support of the FCT Administration to Security Agencies to enable them to discharge their responsibilities of protecting lives and property efficiently in the FCT.
She said the support the Administration has extended to the Security Agencies is yielding fruitful results as the crime rate in the Territory has considerably dropped in the last month.
She said; “the Security Agencies in the FCT have up their game. People who have no business being here, are being sent away. Some of them come under different guises such as begging, and street trading among others. They usually come from neighbouring states and are causing security breaches here. That is why we have decided to send them out.”
Tijani-Aliyu commended the residents of the FCT for cooperating with the security agencies, which she said has helped in the reduction of the crime rate and also contributed to countering the incidences of fake news.
She, therefore, urged residents to always report any suspicious movement to law enforcement agencies and cross-check information received on social media platforms in order not to be conveyors of fake news.
According to the statement, the FCT Police Commissioner said the G-7 Joint Security Operation that is being revived has received the support of sister security agencies, as well as the Commissioners of Police in the member states, who have all agreed with us on the need to collectively flush-out these criminals.
He revealed that the security agencies have gathered useful and actionable intelligence and would soon go after all criminals within its jurisdiction.
Babaji attributed the drop in the crime rate in the FCT to constant raids of the flash points; saying with the deployment of additional 89 newly recruited Police constables to the FCT, the Command is poised to go after criminals in their hideouts.
The FCT Security Committee meeting was attended by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola; the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Bashir Mai-Borno; Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad; FCT Mandate Secretaries; Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Security, and the representatives of all the Security Agencies in the FCT.
Others were Chairmen of the six Area Councils of the FCT: representatives of the FCT Traditional Council, Christian Association of Nigeria and Chief Iman of the National Mosque.
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