Abuja residents are, again, agitated over resurgence of insecurity in the nation’s capital. Just a couple of days ago, Brigadier General Uwem Udokwere (rtd) of the Nigerian Army was killed by hoodlums in his Apo home within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Although operatives of the FCT Police Command had arrested four suspects over the killing, the incident remains fresh in the minds of city dwellers.
The suspects, who spoke in Hausa Language while being paraded, told newsmen that a certain Alhaji informed them that the late general had money at home.
The police have so far recovered the knife used for the attack, as well as the cell phone of the deceased military officer.The Alhaji, who reportedly took the general’s rifle is currently at large.
According to the police, while four suspects are in custody, two others identified as Mallam and Ardo, fled the scene with the general’s pistol and have been declared wanted by the force.
One of the suspects allegedly said: “One Alhaji told us the General has money in his house. We went there to rob him, but when he brought out his gun, we had to attack him with our knives. We did not plan to kill him.”
Also, an Abuja-based journalist, Joel Waksi, was found dead on Wednesday, June 19, five days after he was declared missing. Waksi, an On-Air Personality (OAP) with Atar Communication, owners of Liberty TV/Radio, reportedly left the office around 9pm on Friday, June 14, and was supposed to return to work at the station’s Mpape office by 2pm the following day.
The Group General Manager (GGM), Atar Communication, Balarabe Muhammad, in an interview that went viral, said the Police in Mpape Division of the nation’s capital had declared that Waksi’s body was found near the Panteka neighbourhood and had been transferred to the Kubwa General Hospital mortuary.
According to Muhammad, the OAP was stabbed around his neck, and his phone has not been found. On May 4, the lifeless body of a middle-aged woman, Kadoon Louisa Lornumbe, was found by the roadside following an encounter with “one chance operators” at Tipper Garage Bridge near Mpape in the FCT.
It was gathered that she died after she boarded a vehicle belonging to “one chance” criminal gang. The gruesome assassination two months ago of a middle-aged man and staff of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) identified as Khalid Bichi in the Maitama area of Abuja is still fresh in the minds of residents.
The list is endless as kidnapping and mysterious disappearance of residents are a weekly affair.
. Raising a fresh concern, cleric and resident, Pastor Collins Okoh, said the resurgence of insecurity in Abuja is, indeed, a worrisome issue that requires urgent attention from the authorities.
He noted: “The recent killings of a (retired) Brigadier General and a journalist in separate incidents are alarming and indicative of a larger problem.
“The difficulty in solving insecurity in the nation’s capital may be attributed to several factors, including poor intelligence gathering. Security agencies may not be effectively gathering and acting on intelligence to prevent crimes.
“Inadequate resources, including manpower, equipment and funding, may be hindering the effectiveness of security operations.
“Corruption within the security apparatus may be undermining efforts to combat insecurity. The rapid growth of Abuja’s population may be outpacing the capacity of security agencies to effectively patrol and respond to criminal activities.”
Okoh added that security agencies might be struggling to maintain control over the city’s vast territory, leading to pockets of insecurity.
“Regarding the visibility of police patrol vans, it is true that police presence is often poor in many areas of the city. This may be due to inadequate resources, poor deployment strategies, or lack of community engagement,” he added.
Security expert and senior journalist, Oluwatoyin Yusuf, blamed government and the police for lack of sincerity of purpose. Her words: “Insecurity persists in Abuja because there’s no sincerity of purpose. In area like Bwari, where insecurity is prevalent, even in the face of kidnapping, police come hours later. Even with their knowledge, the community or family will find ways to bargain and do the biddings of the kidnappers.
“When you arrest a suspect, they will release the person without concluding an investigation, and they run into thin airs.
“Even when you see patrol cars at places like Sokale Roundabout, they begin to ask of your particulars and leave the main purpose of stop-and-search. When they search, they search those that can’t afford to pay them bribe and leave those who can.
“The IGP should do the proper thing by making a continuous public service announcement on safety measures and when special patrols want to begin, they should do well to alert the public, not that in this time when security is worst, one policeman will now just appear on the road.”
But the FCT police spokesperson has said operatives of the command from the anti-kidnapping unit, in synergy with troops of the Nigerian Army Guards Brigade, conducted clearance operations in some identified bandits’ camps in Kaduna and Niger states, all bordering the FCT.
“The security operatives, in a streak of well-coordinated operations between June 30 and July 4, 2024, stormed some identified bandits’ camps in Gidan Dogo and Jerei forests, Kaduna State, and Niger State, all bordering FCT, and apprehended six suspects: Inusa Musa, Isiya Adamu, Kare Gambo, Aminu Musa and Muhammed Ibrahim, who voluntarily confessed to having been involved in a string of kidnappings in the FCT and its environs,” she said.
The post Fresh concerns over resurgence of insecurity in FCT appeared first on Guardian Nigeria News.
Discover more from HOT SOURCE NEWS
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
