19th January, 2024
By Philip Yatai
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has asked the Police Commissioner, FCT Command, to establish two additional Police Divisions in Gwagwalada Area Council to curb growing insecurity in the area.
Wike gave the directive during a security town hall with relevant stakeholders on Friday in Gwagwalada, to find lasting solutions to security challenges affecting the federal capital.
The order was in response to the request by the Council’s Chairman, Mr Abubakar Giri, who pleaded for the additional divisions to improve security, particularly in border communities.
Giri said that the area council currently had only two police divisions, one each in Zuba and Gwagwalada.
He also complained that abandoned buildings are constituting security challenges in the area, adding that most of the buildings have become safe havens for criminals.
Wike, who acknowledged the challenges, assured residents of the area of President Bola Tinubu’s resolve to address security challenges in FCT.
He said that the two police divisions would be established immediately considering the security exigency.
The minister also said that he had secured President Tinubu’s approval to procure and distribute operational vehicles and communications gadgets to the police and other security agencies in the FCT.
Wike also asked the council chairman to write to him unfailingly on Monday, indicating the number and locations of all uncompleted buildings that were constituting security threats in the area.
He assured the residents that he would approve the demolition of the uncompleted buildings or transfer ownership of the buildings to the communities to complete and put to good use.
He also promised to construct a befitting health facility and implement other development projects in the area as requested by the residents.
“I am here on the directive of President Tinubu, to meet and discuss with you the prevailing security challenges and find lasting solutions together.
“I was in Bwari Area Council on Wednesday and today I am here at Gwagwalada on the same issue. Next week I will visit another area council until we cover all the six area councils.
“Security is one of the priorities of the current government, so, be rest assured that you are not alone, and we will do all that we can to end security challenges in the territory,” he said.
Earlier, the Aguma of Gwagwalada, Mohammed Magaji, urged the minister to assist the police with more operational vehicles to improve their security operations in the area.
Magaji said that the Gwagwalada Police Division had only one operational vehicle, adding that the vehicle was bad.
The traditional leader also called for the establishment of an additional General Hospital in the Gwagwalada area to provide quality health service to the residents.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Wike had on Wednesday, began a tour of the six Area Councils of the FCT to meet with community leaders and relevant stakeholders over security concerns.
The visit, which began with Bwari Area Council, was in response to the recent spike in the abduction and killing of residents by bandits, especially in Kuje and Bwari area councils.
Wike had told stakeholders in Bwari that the FCT Administration would provide the needed logistics and equipment to security agencies to flush out criminals terrorising the territory.
(NAN)