The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of those killed by bandits.
The Senate has called on the Inspector General Of Police to ensure the installation of CCTV cameras in strategic locations within and around Abuja highways and other major capital cities to bolster surveillance and deter criminal activities.
This is as the Senate resolved to Invite the Commissioner of Police, the Minister of Police Affairs and the FCT Minister to brief the Senate in a closed-door session.
These resolutions are a sequel to the adoption of a motion on the “Galadimawa kidnap incident response and need to urgently enhance security measures in FCT, Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko (PDP, Delta North) during Wednesday’s plenary.
Recall that Nwoko had sponsored a similar motion in November 2023, calling on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to revisit the $460 million spent by the federal government on closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) project in Abuja.
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Recalling the presentation of a similar motion last year, Nwoko noted that the resolution was prompted by the tragic abduction of 19 individuals, including his Senior Legislative Aide, Barrister Chris Agidy, in Galadimawa, Abuja.
He disclosed that upon receiving the distressing news, he took immediate action and promptly contacted the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth C. Igweh, who swiftly activated the OC Anti-Kidnapping team to secure the release of those abducted.
He said, “The FCT Police Command operatives conducted a successful operation on 24 February 2024. Acting on reliable intelligence, they raided Sardauna Forest in Toto, Nasarawa State, and apprehended Samaila Wakili Fafa, also known as Habu Ibrahim, a notorious kidnap kingpin who has long eluded capture and has been on the Command’s wanted list.”
According to him, the suspect has admitted that his criminal syndicate orchestrated and carried out numerous kidnappings in the FCT and its surrounding areas, including the abduction of Barrister Chris Agidy, and Mr. Sunday Yahaya Zakwai, the District Head of Ketti Village.
Nwoko voiced his concern over the gravity of the situation, saying that, “it has only been compounded by the revelation of Barrister Agidy and others’ untimely demise at the hands of these abductors, and their remains recovered and deposited at Gwagwalada Teaching Hospital mortuary for medical assessment.”
Speaking further, he said, “The Police force efforts who displayed unwavering dedication and determination in pursuing the kidnappers – the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth C. Igweh, who personally led the team into the forest in search of the bodies, CSP Mustafa, the Officer in Charge of Anti-Kidnapping, and CSP Victor, the Divisional Police Officer of Utako, along with other courageous police officers.”
Supporting the motion, the Deputy Minority Leader, Oyewunmi Olalere (PDP, Osun West) urged his colleagues to ensure the implementation of the prayers in order to curb the insecurity menace.
He said, “Apart from passing this motion, we should ensure that whatever is passed here is affected”
The Senate thereafter resolved to call on the Inspector-General of Police to urgently increase security patrols and surveillance within Abuja and across the nation to proactively combat and prevent further kidnappings.
It mandated the Committees on Defense and Police to recommend robust strategies to prevent future kidnappings within FCT and called for the recruitment of more police personnel to bolster security forces’ capacity to combat kidnappings and other criminal activities effectively.
It urged for the provision of adequate mobility resources for the police to enhance their ability to respond swiftly to security threats and conduct patrols effectively and also called on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to urgently ensure the functionality of dedicated emergency numbers for police, ambulance, and fire service emergencies, to enhance swift response to security and public safety incidents.
