By Sarah NEGEDU
Following the rising cases of bandits attacks in parts of the country, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered increased surveillance across the territory, including stricter monitoring of all borders and entry points into Abuja.
Recall that the police had last week foiled a kidnapping attempt in Guto community, Bwari Area Council, where a man and his family were nearly abducted before operatives repelled the attackers.
The incident has heightened public anxiety, especially as recent attacks on schools and communities in other states have raised fears over student and resident safety.
To reinforce public safety, a joint “Operation Sweep” squad, comprising the military, police, DSS, and other security agencies, has been deployed to vulnerable locations across the capital.
Addressing the team on Tuesday, FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Miller Dantawaye, said the Minister had provided full logistical support to ensure the operation’s success.
“The FCT minister, his excellency Nyesom Wike, has given complete support, especially in terms of logistics for this operation. He has given approval and I am sure that by the time we’ll be leaving here later, I mean today, the funds for fueling, for servicing of the vehicles and even allowances for the men will have dropped into an account that we can assess,” he said.
Dantawaye added that Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police had endorsed the mobilisation, which targets kidnapping, banditry, and other criminal activities as the yuletide season approaches.
He further disclosed that the influx of beggars into the city centre has become a security concern, noting that some criminal elements often disguise as beggars.
“We were trying to perfect our legal requirements to that effect before we can delve into that. But naturally, we wouldn’t want to have people loitering around the cities and by way of claiming that they are beggars. Because we know that amongst people that come, some of them that claim that they are beggars are not exactly beggars. Most people come with criminal intent,” he stated.
“We’re going to profile them and see those we will take off the streets that are criminally minded, even if they claim they are beggars. But for the beggars, well, we work closely, like I told you, looking at the legal backing, working closely with Abuja environmental protection bodies to see if there’s a need for us to take them away from the streets or not.”
