Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has vowed to discourage the granting of bail to kidnappers.
This was as he directed the Chairmen of the six Area Councils in the territory to commence monthly security meetings to improve the security situation in their areas of jurisdiction or risk sanctions.
The minister gave the directive on Friday during a security town hall meeting at the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
Wike told the stakeholders to notify him should any of the chairmen fail to hold the monthly security meeting.
He said any council chairman who does not hold monthly security council meetings becomes a threat to the security of the council.
The minister said; “Gone were the days when kidnappers would be granted bail. I will not allow it again. We will ensure that the kidnapper is punished. How will a kidnapper be granted bail?
“Therefore, I will be calling meetings of all traditional leaders, meeting with all council chairmen and meeting with all security agencies.
“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”.
Wike assured 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 them to perform wonders, we want them to perform miracles.
“If they don’t have information, they will not perform miracles; if they don’t have information no wonders would be performed.
“Our is not to carry guns; ours is to provide information through the Area Councils, through our traditional rulers; and through my office, then to security agencies. When we give them information, they will take proactive actions”, he said.
He also promised to construct a police station and some access roads as requested by the council chairman, Christopher Maikalangu.
Earlier, 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.
Mohammed 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 a 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.
The chief had also asked the minister to compel the council chairmen to hold the mandatory monthly peace and security meetings.
He explained that the meeting was supposed to be monthly where all the Divisional Police Officers, Area Commanders, and Heads of Department of State Services meet to exchange security information.
