Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Monday, stated that the continuing fight against banditry and kidnappings in the FCT was being hampered by a lack of operable vehicles and equipment.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Wike attributed the recent spike in kidnappings in some border villages of the Federal Capital Territory to a deficiency in tools for tracking down criminals.
However, he reassured residents that the security issues would be resolved shortly after President Bola Tinubu approved the emergency procurement.
According to him, the purchase of operating cars and digital tracking devices was approved to help apprehend kidnappers in their tracks.
“So many facilities were not provided and vehicles for the security agencies are not there.
“You cannot believe that equipment to track criminals are not there and when anything happens, security agencies go back to the Office of the National Security Adviser or the Force Headquarters.
“That is not the way it is supposed to be,” the minister said.
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He asserts that to lower crime rates, security services want specialized devices, especially those that enable them to trace the whereabouts of phone users.
Wike said that the emergency procurement would supply the needs of each security agency, which had been identified by the FCT Administration.
“Again, before we came on board, the police had said that they had requested procurement of a certain number of motorcycles where vehicles cannot get to – the remote areas. Some of these areas are mountainous.
“Unfortunately, the motorcycles were not provided, but we have been able to do that now.”
He continued by saying that employees needed incentives and that security was about more than just gear hence, to guarantee the success of security operations, this needs to be resolved to ensure a good security system
In addition, Mr Wike the FCTA would create a Joint Task Force that would be fully equipped to respond to security emergencies and have a command and control structure.
“The next thing is to set up a joint security outfit here, where they have their structure and equipment so that if anything happens, the task force will know it is its function and move in.
“Yes, it will cost us some funds and it will take us some time, but what is important is that we have identified that this is a lacuna that we have to cover,” the minister said.
