THE Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, and Police Commissioner Benneth Igwe are currently responding to inquiries from the National Assembly over the insecurity in Nigeria’s capital city.
The duo arrived at the National Assembly on Wednesday, March 13, in response to a Senate resolution for an interaction.
The ICIR gathered that the Senate had, on Wednesday, February 28, summoned Wike and the Commissioner of Police, Igwe, over the murder of Chris Agidy, an aide to Senator Ned Nwoko, by some kidnappers.
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The Senate resolved that the FCT Minister and the police commissioner should appear to brief the Red Chamber on the increasing cases of kidnapping in the city.
The Senate’s decision stemmed from a motion put forward by Senator Nwoko regarding the abduction and murder of his senior legislative assistant, Agidy.
Meanwhile, during the Wednesday plenary, the Senate decided around 12:20 pm to postpone the first order of the day to another legislative session in order to convene a closed-door meeting with the two individuals in a Committee of the Whole.
Subsequently, the Deputy Senate Leader, Oyelola Ashiru, moved a motion to this effect, which the Minority Leader seconded.
They are also expected to brief the chamber on security modalities in the FCT to find a lasting solution.
Ashiru said, “The minister and the commissioner will brief us on the modalities of security in the FCT.”
The ICIR reports that past and present administrations have made several promises to address insecurity within the FCT. However, many years later, abductions have persisted, and more residents are leaving their homes to escape attacks by bandits.
In December 2023, the FCTA named three area councils, Kuje, Abaji, and Bwari, as places with the highest records of kidnapping in the FCT.
Several kidnap cases were recorded within these areas during the festive period, including the mass abduction of about 23 residents of Dei-Dei, Bwari, and 12 others in Gbaupe, a rural community along Airport Road.
This incessant kidnapping has made many flee their homes, with some residents putting up their houses and properties for sale.
Similarly, in January 2024, The ICIR reported that over 380 persons were kidnapped between December 1, 2023, and January 3, 2024, across Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu.
According to data obtained by The ICIR from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a data bureau collecting data on the locations, dates, actors, fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protest events worldwide, those abducted include men, women, farmers, children, and students.
The victims were taken hostage at various events that happened during the last month of 2023 and the first week of the new year, illustrating the escalating number of kidnapping cases in the country.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M