By Favour Nnabugwu

The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, did not mince words when he said  government facilities like vehicles  will no longer be  misused by those in charge.

Abuja, before the insurgency of Boko Haram, used to be generally safe, though, like any other cities of the world, caution and common sense still prevailed. Visitors are, however, not told that they need to be aware that there are armed robbery, car jacking and other security risks, such as driving late at night and boarding of taxi that already has an occupant with the driver.

Though  occasional social, religious and ethnic unrest present security threat, political gatherings, street demonstrations and workers protests also have the potential to turn violent.

Unfortunately, the penal system moves very slowly in Nigeria and the police lack the necessary training and equipment to investigate  crime but, with the provision of  new  vehicles, it is believed that there will be considerable improvement in the mandate of the police in particular.

It was  against this backdrop that the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Abubakar, warned security operatives,  especially the police personnel, against reckless usage of 114 vehicles valued at N900million newly procured for them.

Abubakar said he will not hesitate to sanction any member of the force that misuses government vehicles for reasons other than the purpose for which they were provided, that  is, protection of lives and property.

The IG spoke at the commissioning in Abuja  of  the vehicles by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed,  for  distribution to security operatives as follows: Nigeria Police, 75; military, 10; SSS, 10; Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, 2; Immigration, 2; Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, 1; Prisons, 2; the Nigeria Civil Defence Service Corps, 1 and Special Duties, 11.

Abubakar said  the  vehicles were the first of its kind in the history of security management and control in the country.

He said, “I want to sound a note of warning to all users of these vehicles that we shall not tolerate any act of recklessness from officers that will use these vehicles.

”These vehicles are provided for mobility and prompt response of security operatives to securing lives and property in the federal capital territory and  neighbouring states.”

The neighbouring states include Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger, Kaduna, Kogi and Benue.

The IG cautioned, “Any member who allows  himself to be caught  will be sanctioned.
”Each and everyone of you have to responsible to his duties to protect lives and property of the people.”
Assuring that the country cannot be divided as a result of the security problem, Major-General N. M. Nasamu thanked the two FCT ministers for their support to enhance security in the capital while urging the general public to help security operatives with information that would help to carry out their job effectively.

According to him, “We cannot have a country where we cannot live together as one. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the security challenges in the country will degenerate to religious war”.

”We just have to have faith in the country, we must have faith in the leadership of FCT and we must have faith in the President of this country.

”One of the problems we had was mobility and, with these vehicles, we can eliminate 114 road blocks as we can now move about  without any delay”.

The FCT Minister, Mohammed, handed-over the 114  vehicles, fitted with communication and security gadgets at the Old Parade Ground, Area 10, Garki I District, Abuja.

Mohammed said  the procurement of the vehicles wouldn’t have been possible without the approval of President Goodluck Jonathan.

He stated. “This huge investment has been done to safeguard lives and property of  the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, including members of the diplomatic community”.

He expressed the hope that the gesture would  improve upon the capacity of the security  agencies to prevent and fight crime.

The minister remarked that security and safety anxieties are the realities of city life anywhere on the universe especially in a growing city like Abuja, and that the FCT  administration will continue to provide the needed metropolitan infrastructure and services.

Mohammed  assured that the FCT  administration is committed to the security  of lives and property.
He  challenged  security agents in the Federal Capital Territory to continue to work towards the elimination of criminal activities, emphasizing that to whom much is given, much is expected.

The minister acknowledged the shared vision, commitment and enormous contributions made by successive FCT administrations toward equipping the security agencies to enable them perform their statutory functions optimally; recalling  that the FCT administration had donated over 150 vehicles to security  agencies since 2007.

His words: “We have a duty not only to assure our citizens that we are on top of the situation but also to be seen to be doing so.  It is our collective responsibility, in this turbulent period, to evolve new strategies to meet with the changing nature and complexity of crime in the country”.

He also announced the donation of 11 police posts and three stations to the FCT  Police command.
Mohammed said the posts and stations were in Garki, Wuse, Utako, Maitama, Jabi, Wuye, Durumi and Daki Biyu Districts.

The minister  lamented  terrorism which has swept throughout the country like wild fire, bringing, in its wake, fear and uncertainty among the citizenry and spreading like cancer which no one is  immune from its potent danger.
The minister called on aggrieved persons in the country to take advantage of the window provided to embrace dialogue as announced by government; stressing that the Federal Government has repeatedly expressed its commitment to the efficacy of dialogue in resolving any kind of problem.

Driving in Abuja

Undoubtedly, Abuja’s road conditions are fairly good. Major streets are wide, well maintained and generally well sign posted though unpaved side streets can be difficult to manoeuvre. What really makes driving in Abuja a challenge, however,  is the lack of skill of the drivers; the condition of many of the vehicles and the loosely followed rules of the road which often result to fatal accidents and loss of lives in  the metropolis.

Security Trust Fund

In order to confront  security challenges in the Federal Capital Territory and  environs headlong, the FCT  administration is considering the setting up of  the FCT Security Fund. Sen. Bala Mohammed, the minister  in charge of the territory,  said the FCT administration was collaborating with security agencies and other stakeholders to set up  the trust fund.

The minister revealed that, as part of  their corporate  social responsibility,  multinationals like construction firms and financial institutions operating in the Federal Capital Territory will be challenged to contribute to the fund.

According to him, the fund, when established, will complement the efforts of  government and thereby provide  such institutions and organizations the opportunity to fully participate in securing lives and property in territory.
Mohammed reiterated that security is everybody’s business and therefore should not be left in the hands of  the government alone.

He said the private sector,  the diplomatic community and development partners would be encouraged to contribute to the fund to acquire operational equipment  for security agencies to enhance their capacity to combat crime.