In a bid to ensure the wellbeing of the citizenry, the House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, to explain measures being put in place to keep the peace in the FCT.
Also summoned by the House at the plenary presided by Speaker Tajudeen Abass we’re the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu and heads of all Security agencies for an emergency security briefing and strategy on how to curb the insecurity in Abuja.
The decision followed the adoption of a motion under matters of urgent national importance on the need to curb deteriorating insecurity in the FCT moved by Hon. Dominic Okafor at plenary on Wednesday.
In effect, the House mandated the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to install Security Cameras around the F. C. T. and its environs, to install other security gadgets and to equip security personnel with modern security equipment to combat the rising and frightening insecurity within the Territory and its environs including the use of drones.
The lawmakers further mandated the heads of all Security Agencies to urgently collaborate among themselves, train and set up special units within their formations to track and clamp down on the Criminal elements within and around the Territory.
Presenting the motion, Okafor noted that the Federal Capital Territory is and remains the seat of the Federal Government from where National Polices are formulated, headquarters of Federal Government Agencies are domiciled, International edifices are located, majority of foreigners and visitors are resident etc.
He said that the government of nearby Nasarawa State has announced plans to install security Cameras across their state to curb the distressing security challenges in the state which ought to be replicated in Abuja being the Centre of the Nation and should be the safest place in the country.
“The level of insecurity raving the Centre of Unity in recent times, is, to say the least, very disappointing and unbefitting of a Federal Capital City where there are escalating cases of “one chance “, armed robberies, banditry and rampant kidnappings and killings”
“The last administration, through the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy compulsorily registered and linked National Identification Numbers (NIN) with Telephone Numbers of Nigerians and further linked same with various bank accounts with the main purpose of curbing the rising spate of insecurity in the Country”
The lawmaker stressed that since the Compulsory registration and linking of the National Identification Numbers (NIN) by the Federal Government, there has never been a time it was deployed to tackle or address the pressing and scary state of insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory or the Nation at large.
Furthermore, he worried that since criminal elements in and around the Federal Capital Territory are speedily evolving from the norm to advanced techniques of criminality, the security agencies of government ought to urgently move to digitalize their operations to return the Federal Capital Territory to its safest haven in the Country with the use of drones, Closed Circuit Television(CCTV) and other modern sophisticated security gadgets.
“Restructuring the Nation economically and politically as is obtainable in most Western Economies is the next most appropriate step the Federal Government of Nigeria should go in a bit to addressing the teething economic, political and security concerns of Nigerians”
The House However mandated the Security Agencies to immediately commence the use of the registered National Identification Numbers (NIN) in their technology to trace and curb insecurity across the Country.