Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned those covertly working as informants to kidnappers, bandits and criminals operating in the territory to either repent of their evil deeds, or end up dying in the hands of security operatives like their fellow collaborators.
The minister gave the warning yesterday at Kuje Area Council on the final leg of his Town hall meetings with the FCT residents on the escalating insecurity in the territory.
While urging residents to offer relevant information that would help security agencies, Wike restated the need for security in the nation’s capital, saying if the FCT is not secure, Nigeria is not safe.
He also warned against the politicisation of the current security situation in the nation’s capital saying: “We are going to tackle insecurity head-on. These bandits and criminals – their time is up. I know some of the criminal informants are here listening to me and if you are an informant, you will die the same way those people you are informing will die.
“You have the opportunity of repenting today or else you are gone. Nobody will pity you. You have seen what the security agencies have been doing in the past few days. That is to show you that it is not business as usual.
“Be fully aware that we are ready for you. I told the chairman to make sure that the vigilance groups are empowered and we must do it well. They must be profiled and the security agencies must know them. And to the residents, give us information. You must work with the security agencies and provide them with information.
“Relax; don’t be afraid. I have had this problem before and I tackled it. So, it will not be a different thing here: l will tackle it and you will see the results. Let me assure you that no amount of blackmail will stop us from carrying out our assignment,” Wike said.
Wike, who promised to fix some network of roads like Kuje, Robochi road, Peigyi relocation road, Kuje Gwagwalada road among others, said abandoned projects could constitute to insecurity of a community
He also tasked the Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Abdullahi Suleiman Sabo, to ensure that regular meetings were held with the traditional rulers and also relate the outcome of the meetings to the FCT Administration.
The minister also told the council chairman to stay in his constituency rather than live in the city.
“Stay here with your people and do your work. I don’t want to see you in the city. You are not elected the chairman of AMAC; you are elected the chairman of Kuje Area Council. Those who voted for you are not in the city; they are here. So, ensure you are here every day so that you will be able to solve their problem. Some of you’re talking about pressure being too much, but you are the one who applied for the job. You must face the pressure as you can’t run away from your responsibility,” Wike said.
“If the FCT is not safe, Nigeria is not safe, so we must work together,” he said adding: “l thank God that president is giving me all the support to fight this insecurity”.
“Security agencies are doing their best and those criminals are getting tough. We won’t say we would eliminate insecurity totally. No where in the world- not even Europe that you won’t see any form of criminality. But we will do our best so you will go back to your normal businesses without anyone molesting you,” Wike added.
Earlier in his remarks, the chairman Kuje Area Council, Suleiman Sabo, requested for the stoppage of illegal mining activities in the council, noting that the illegal activity was contributing to the spike in crimes, especially, kidnapping.
