On December 23, 2022, Sadiq Abubakar, assumed duty as the 29th CP of the federal capital territory, taking over from Mr. Sunday Babaji, who had held forth and enjoyed a robust relationship with the media.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, Josephine Adeh, a deputy superintendent of police, quoted the new CP as warning criminals to steer clear of the FCT.
According to Adeh, Mr Abubakar, a member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, holds a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, and a Masters of Education in Educational Psychology, both from the University of Abuja.
Abubakar also holds a Bachelor of Science Education, BSc.Ed, degree in Geography from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
This means that new police boss comes well equipped educationally and has garnered the requisite experience going by his various postings to take charge of the country’s administrative and political headquarters.
It is important to draw the commissioner’s attention to some gripping statistics so that he realises that he requires all the guile and tact to address the security gaps in the nation’s capital beyond mere verbal warning to criminal elements.
A report by The Punch Newspapers detailed in graphic terms the number of persons killed and kidnapped in Abuja, which sadly, are high and frightening.
The report shows that over 69 persons were killed and 194 abducted in 194 attacks carried out by bandits and other criminals in the Federal Capital Territory in 2022.
The newspaper said it sourced its data from media reports and a leading indigenous intelligence outfit, Beacon Consulting.
Though the FCT police command has tried to dismiss the tenuous nature of security in the territory, statistics as they say, do not lie and the ones in the FCT speak to the terrible security situation.
While the police cannot be blamed for some of the attacks owing to the geographical nature of Abuja being bounded by six neighbouring states, it is still its lot as the leading security agency to bear the responsibility of ensuring the safety and lives and property.
It is unacceptable that such a huge number of persons were killed and kidnapped. One thing the commissioner can do is by deploying technology and this it can do be partnering with the organised private sector to invest in surveillance hardware round and about their businesses as well as supporting the police.
Also, area councils have a vital role in supporting the community policing effort of the command. This can happen when the commissioner builds a healthy working relationship with the chairmen.
Chairmen need to be given the assurances that their investment in policing will be rewarded with the requisite deployment.
Owing to the overly political nature of Abuja, the commissioner as one vast in psychology needs a delicate balancing of the wants of the political wing of the administration, with the security needs of the people in his deployment of personnel on VIP duties.
For too long has VIP and escort duties taken a chunk off the personnel required for proper policing. And as the elections are here and with more demands on the police, it behoves on the CP to ensure that the security of the greater majority is not sacrificed on political expediency of a few.
Furthermore, a healthy media relationship is vital so that critical scrutiny of his activities is not seen as adversarial rather to plug in the gaps where necessary.
While the CP has held one press briefing with members of the Fourth Estate, it is unclear if he has visited any media house and or the NUJ to seek for partnership in realising his mandate of securing the FCT.
In all, all eyes are on CP Abubakar to see how the numbers in terms of killings, kidnapping and other violent crimes are addressed.
