The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has handed over 100 motorcycles to security outfits in the territory.
Wike said the gesture was to further tighten the nuts against kidnapping and other forms of crime in the nation’s capital, especially the hard-to-reach areas.
City & Crime reports that the breakdown of the distribution shows that Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) got 60 motorcycles (10 each for the six area councils), police got 30 and five each went to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The minister warned that the motorcycles must not be used in the townships but in hard-to-reach parts of the territory to fight insecurity.
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While he charged the VGN to utilise the motorcycles to assist the police and other security agencies in combating crime, particularly in the rural areas of the FCT, the minister 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 specialised 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 DSS and the civil defence will also want to do theirs.
“Let me caution; particularly the security agencies; I don’t want to hear stories tomorrow that the motorcycles are nowhere to be found. I don’t want to hear such stories, because sometimes when you give out vehicles, before you know the vehicles are no more there. Please utilise these motorcycles to fight crime 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 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 property; we are going to do it. So, I urge you to use them well and take them not for commercial purposes. I don’t want to see the motorcycles in the city here. They should be used in the rural areas.
“So, please let them be taken to the rural areas. All the security agencies, the outposts, give them to them. We do not want to continue to hear excuses that the terrain is so bad. They require these. Now that you have been given, this 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, the Commandant-General of VGN, Navy Captain Abubakar Bakori Umar (Rtd), commended the minister for giving the motorcycles to the group to enhance community security in the six area councils.
