The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ireti Kingibe has expressed concern over the worsening security situation in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Kingibe was reacting to the killing of Nabiha Al-Kadriya, a 400 Level Biological Sciences student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria by kidnappers.
She said the rate and ease with which criminals abduct and kill innocent Nigerians in the federal capital is not only unacceptable to her as the representative of the people of the FCT but more importantly an embarrassment to the nation.
Nabiha, her father, Mr. Mansoor Al-Kadriya and her five sisters were kidnapped in Zuma town in Bwari, Abuja on January 2, 2024. Her father was freed by their captors to enable him raise the N60 million demanded by the kidnappers. A few days ago, however, Nabiha, the second daughter of Mr. Al-Kadriya, was murdered by her captors and the ransom demand increased to N100 million.
Kingibe in a statement issued on her behalf by Nana Kazaure, her Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said the murder of Nabiha and those of many others killed in similar and other situations, is a blight on the national conscience and a slap on the face of government, whose primary responsibility is to secure lives and properties.
“The death of Nabiha and others who have died at the hands of kidnappers, bandits and other criminal elements, offends our most basic values of decency. It questions the raison d’ eter of government.
“At the very minimum, it is the duty of government to protect it’s citizens and ensure an atmosphere conducive for them to enjoy the fundamental freedoms guaranteed them by the Nigerian constitution.
“It is unfortunate to note that in this regard, FCT residents and indeed, millions of other Nigerians who live on perennial fear for their safety, are being denied these constitutionally guaranteed rights.
“The reality we face today is that residents of the FCT, who by virtue of their residing within the seat of power, and who by this fact should naturally be the envy of other Nigerians by enjoying the extra security their proximity to power should provide, have become most harassed and traumatized by the near unfettered reign of terror imposed on their communities by criminals.
“It is as if our security agencies have gone to sleep. It surely beggars belief that this should be happening in the Federal Capital and is clearly unacceptable to me and Nigerians in general.
“Nigerians will recall that in my New Year message, I noted that a key area of priority for me is the safety of residents of the FCT. I restate that position here and insist that our security operatives pull their socks up and check the rising spate of criminal activities, which have cast a pall of gloom, fear and anxiety over the lives of residents of the FCT”, Senator Kingibe said.
She promised to continue to press for more sophisticated and creative policing of Abuja in order to checkmate the activities of criminal elements who have in recent times become emboldened in the conduct of their nefarious activities.
Commiserating with Mr. Al-Kadriya on the murder of Nabiha, she called on security operatives to work diligently and speedily to free his daughters and others currently in captivity. Kingibe also urged the Federal Government to as a matter of priority declare an emergency on the security sector to enable government put a handle on the growing level of insecurity around the country.
“We need to treat the security situation in the country as an emergency that requires immediate and drastic action by individuals at the highest level of government.
“I am calling for concerted and coordinated action by officials in the three arms of government. There must be a synergy of efforts to tackle this rampaging monster of insecurity “, Kingibe said.
