Insurgency Has Created Influx of People into FCT, Council Chairman Laments
* Wike demands holding of monthly security meetings
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Maikalangu, has raised the alarm that insurgent activities in the neighbouring states of Niger, Kogi, Kaduna and Nasarawa have led to upsurge of migration of people into Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He cried out yesterday when the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, engaged AMAC stakeholders at a Town Hall meeting on insecurity in the FCT.
According to Maikalangu, the security situation had led to an explosion of criminal activities in the rural areas and the FCT city centre.
He applauded Wike for initiating the FCT Ministerial Taskforce which has led to a reduction in the rate of crime in the territory.
“It will interest you to know that if communities such as Kabusa, Ketti, Gbawu and other communities that have become kidnappers’ hideouts, are accessible by security agencies, the rate of crime would have been adequately addressed,” Maikalangu said.
He appealed for the minister’s intervention to create access roads to Takushara, Burum, Gidan Kwano, Leka, Kutasa, for the good and safety of the people.
He also appealed for the establishment of a police division within Takushara axis, which he noted will provide security presence in all the surrounding communities.
Meanwhile, Wike has mandated the chairmen of the six Area Councils to hold monthly security meetings. He said any council chairman who defies the directive is a security threat.
“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 meeting 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 job, 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 said.
The minister also assured residents that the government would provide everything that security agencies require to help them to perform their duties.
He charged FCT residents to support security agencies in the fight against crimes and insecurity, saying: “Ours is not to carry guns but give necessary information and they will make sure most of these things won’t be there again.
“As a government, we will give them all they require to do their job. They can’t perform wonders if they don’t have equipment to work with and if we don’t provide them necessary information.”
He revealed that, within a week, the FCT Administration would provide security agencies with vehicles, motorcycles and other tools they need to work with.
Earlier, the Chief of Karshi, Alhaji Ismaila Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of traditional leaders at the meeting, warned politicians against politicising the situation in the FCT by making provocative statements.
“Please do not politicise the security situation in the FCT. Leave the security challenge out of your politics.
“God forbid, if there is 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,” Mohammed pleaded.
