Insecurity Reports on Abuja Overblown, Says FCT Minister

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Musa Mohammed has said many of the reports bordering on the security challenges in Abuja, the nation’s capital, were exaggerated.

The minister made the declaration yesterday at the 20th edition of the PMB Administration Scorecard (2015-2023) in Abuja.

He said although the nation’s capital had issues with security challenges, substantial progress had been made in that area through active collaboration between the FCT Administration and the security agencies.

This collaboration, he said, had been able to curtail the activities of infiltrates trying to relocate to the territory from various areas, where there were ongoing intensive military operation against terrorism and banditry.

The minister said security agencies in the FCT have remained alert and have through regular tactical and kinetics operations, ensured that the criminals found no abode in the territory, adding that the FCTA had also intervened by providing equipment and cognitive support to the security agencies.

“A lot of people out there try to over-blow the issue, but I am privy to the security report of what is happening in the FCT every 24 hours and as a matter of fact, every 12 hours. And I know that there is a lot of work that is going on and for every incident you read or see on the Social Media, I tell you, over 10 cases have been nipped in the bud by our security agencies but we tend to look at the negative ones,” the minister said.

Bello said the situation in the country was a lot better than what occasions in most Western cities, adding that the federal government should also consider giving advisory to Nigerians about incidents in other places to reassure them that the security situation in Abuja and the country, by and large, is not as bad as it is being portrayed.

While describing land administration as one of the most difficult matters for him as the FCT Minister, Bello noted that land would be difficult to acquire in Abuja in the next 20 years unlike in the past when people were being invited to come and develop the city.

He said all the areas for development in Phase 1, 2 and 3 in the masterplan were allocated before the Buhari administration, adding that there was no point giving people false hope that they would have a piece of paper allocation for areas, where they would not develop in their lifetime.

He further assured the people that the Abuja Light Rail that was suspended, because of COVID-19 outbreak would commence service in May 2023 before the end of the administration.

He also hinted that 12 stations had been completed while road linking five of them were under construction.