“Why is it difficult for this government to secure the people living in the seat of power, FCT-Abuja? How can it then secure the entire country? Recently, the government of Niger State raised a nervous alarm about how bandits were creeping from the state into the neighboring FCT. Earlier last year also, the Nasarawa State government had raised a similar alarm. Interestingly, none of the federal security agencies denied these reported alarms, and they did not sensitize citizens on them”
There is a pervading fear of insecurity in the entire country. Surely, the failures or compromises or acts of neglect by this government have been recorded by history. Narrowed down, tension has been building up in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, for weeks now.
Residents of the FCT-Abuja have been gripped with realities of state of insecurity, especially in recent times. There have been serial kidnappings and robberies going on, even at places where there are security establishments without any serious challenges from the security agencies. Many times, some security agents wait for necessary orders (not trivial political orders with contrary body language) to act, but such orders won’t come from above.
In Kuje Area Council and environs, for instance, it appears as if the government has left the people in the area to their fate. At Pegi/Abuja at 30 Housing Unit otherwise popularly called 1000 Housing Unit, people are kidnapped on the road connecting the community with Kuje township. There are reports that criminals knock on residents’ doors and forcefully carry them away into the bush and demand ransoms. The greatest irony is that there is a Naval Base in this community.
The FCT authorities also know that the forests of Abaji Area Council of the FCT is a haven where kidnapped take their victims to but nothing has been done and no one knows whether anything will ever be done to secure residents of these areas. Last week, parents ran to the public and private schools in Bwari Area Council to pick up their children as a result of fear of insecurity. A report went wild that some bandits or terrorists were seen in trucks (some said it was on motor bikes) approaching the area leading to schools shutting down abruptly.
Some school authorities reportedly asked parents to come and take their children home. What is probably most abhorable and suspicious in all these reports is that we no longer get intelligence reports any more from our intelligence agencies. Citizens now rely on conventional and social media reports to guide them on security tips while government agencies merely react instead of being proactive. We found out that those who put their ears on the ground get more sensitive information from neighbours, colleagues and friends than from the security agencies. Why? This is the government that spends unaccounted billions of Naira on security without commensurate results.
Why is it difficult for this government to secure the people living in the seat of power, FCT-Abuja? How can it then secure the entire country? Recently, the government of Niger State raised a nervous alarm about how bandits were creeping from the state into the neighbouring FCT. Earlier last year also, the Nasarawa State government had raised a similar alarm. Interestingly, none of the federal security agencies denied these reported alarms, and they did not sensitize citizens on them. How can the country and her citizens be living in fear in a country that is governed by a retired military general and former military head of state? We urge the government to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on Nigeria’s security situation. This is a great need of the moment.
