Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the National Assembly from 2015 to 2019, has expressed his concerns about the recent insecurity that has plagued the Federal Capital Territory.
Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, is facing a surge of kidnappings and attacks by armed groups in recent times, and according to a tweet by Sani, who is a vocal critic of the government’s handling of the security situation in the country, Abuja was meant to be a peaceful and comfortable place for the elites, but the troubles in other parts of the country have now spread to the city.
“Abuja was intended or assumed to be a heaven of peace and an oasis of comfort for the elites. The troubles in other parts of the country have now crept in Abuja can only be safe if the whole country is safe,” he tweeted on Monday.
Sani’s tweet came amid reports of several incidents of kidnappings and killings in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs in the past few days.
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On Sunday, gunmen abducted 10 persons from Sagwari Estate Layout at Dutse in Bwari Area Council and reportedly killed three of them after increasing their ransom demand from N60 million to N100 million per person.
On the same day, two children and nine adults were also kidnapped at Gbaupe village, behind Aco Estate, along Airport Road. On Thursday, 22 people were kidnapped in Kawu Village in Bwari Area Council.
These cases followed a series of attacks and threats within close proximity of Nigeria’s seat of government in Abuja by Islamist and other armed groups, which have caused fear and apprehension among citizens in the FCT and across the country.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has summoned an emergency security council meeting to address the rising insecurity in the territory. He has also assured the residents that the FCT Administration is taking steps to enhance security and protect lives and property.
However, some residents and civil society groups have expressed dissatisfaction with the response of the authorities and the security agencies to the security challenges. They have called for more proactive and effective measures to restore peace and safety in the city and the country at large.