Insecurity: FCTA Charges Traditional Rulers to Comply With Code of Conduct

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The FCT Administration has charged traditional rulers and community chiefs in the territory to comply with the code of conduct guiding traditional institution.
The Director FCTA Department of Security Services, Adamu Gwary, gave the charge during a briefing about the activities of department.
His remark was in response to the measures being put in place by FCT Administration to mitigate another case where a village chief was arrested by security agencies for abetting banditry and kidnapping of a traditional ruler two years.

According to Gwary, “There are windows we use in ensuring that checks and balances are in place to ensure that no traditional ruler with questionable character or any relationship that we will not raise red flag and the appropriate sanction is meted out even if he happens to be a graded chief.

“They know there is a code of conduct for their being there. It has not happened in the FCT that a graded chief was removed but certainly they are aware if they allow such things to happen within their domain they know they will be liable for such an action.”
The incident under review occurred in Gwargwada in Kuje Area Council when the chief was kidnapped and another village head was indicted for collaborating with criminals in the heinous act.

Gwary said the indicted chief was neither the paramount ruler nor the district head but someone, who usually led them in prayer.
He added that when the report was submitted, the immediate past FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello, directed the Chairman of the Area Council to enforce and make the culprit face the consequences and even demanded the signing of a letter sacking the chief outright.

He said the matter was taken to court but nothing much came out of it because the judiciary said there was no enough evidence.
“At the end of the day due to the weak system of our laws, you find out that somebody who is involved in that kind of crime is given six months imprisonment and it will start taking effect from the day of his arrest. What this has revealed is that when judgment was passed he must have finished his sentence. These are some of those things that majorly we are facing in terms of prosecution of people who are involved in this kind of crime,” Gwary lamented.

He said in the restructured security committee the FCTA now involves traditional rulers in non-kinetic approach, where the district heads meet regularly with the village heads and convey the decision reached at the meeting with the graded chiefs through the Onah of Abaji.