Vigilante Group of Nigeria, alongside security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory, recently took delivery of 100 motorcycles, to support the fight against kidnappings in the FCT.
The motorcycles which were donated by the FCT Administration, are expected to operate in rural communities, particularly difficult to reach terrains where bandits and other miscreants reigned terror in recent past.
While handing over the vehicles to the security agencies, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, warned that the motorcycles must not be used in the townships but in hard-to-reach parts of the territory to fight insecurity.
The minister announced that 60 motorcycles will be given to the six area councils to be used by vigilantees, while the police gets 30 and five each goes to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Wike, who charged the VGN to utilize the motorcycles to assist the police and other security agencies in combating crimes in the rural areas of the FCT, expressed appreciation to the group for its selfless sacrifices to secure lives and property in the nation’s capital.
He said, “Remember that security agencies requested for specialized motorcycles that will be used particularly in the rural areas. The vigilance teams will use them in the six Area Councils, and then the Police, the SSS, and the Civil Defence will also want to do theirs.
“Let me caution, particularly to the security agencies, I don’t want to hear stories tomorrow that the motorcycles are nowhere to be found again. I don’t want to hear such stories, because sometimes when you give out vehicles, before you knew it, the vehicles are no more there. Please utilize these motorcycles to fight crimes in the areas you have identified. Ordinarily, the Chairmen of the Area Councils ought to handle this, but this is our support to them in the councils.
“Make sure that these motorcycles are given out to the vigilance teams, and we are going to provide logistics for those who are going to use these motorcycles. We are going to provide logistics for them. We have promised the residents of Abuja and the Area Councils that security is a priority for the Renewed Hope Agenda. Anything we can do to protect lives and properties; we are going to do it. So, I urge you to use it well, and take it not for commercial purposes. I don’t want to see the motorcycles in the city here. It should be used in the rural areas, so, they should not be used here.
“We are already trying to see how we can phase out motorcycles here, so please let it be taken to the rural areas. All the security agencies, the outposts, give it to them. We do not want to continue to hear excuses that the terrain is so bad, they require this and that and they have not been given. Now that you have been given, these may not be enough, we will continue to provide more.
“For vehicles, we believe by the next two weeks, the vehicles would have been ready to give out to the security agencies. For us, we will not relent until those who say we will not sleep, they too will also not sleep.”
In his response, Commandant General of the Vigilance Group of Nigeria VGN, Navy Captain Umar Bakori (rtd), commended the minister for donating operational motorcycles to the group to enhance community security in the six area councils.
Bakori assured that the operational motorcycles will properly deployed to enhance and strengthen rural security in the FCT.
The Commandant General noted that officers and men of the VGN are well trained and are embedded in the communities and rural areas across the country where they assist the police and other security agencies with vital intelligence resulting in successful counter insurgency operations.
