Despite the incessant killings, attacks and growing insecurity in the nation’s capital, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has described Abuja as Nigeria’s safest city.
The minister while on a routine inspection of ongoing work on the Wuye District Infrastructure and the Federal Highway 105 from the Umar Musa Yar’Adua Expressway to Kuje township assured Abuja residents of their safety.
While fielding questions from journalists on the growing criminal activities in the FCT, Wike said there is an improvement in the security across the nation’s capital city.
Comparing his administration effort towards securing Abuja to what was obtainable in the past, the minister said there are only isolated incidents of criminal activities which are usually blown out of proportion.
He also noted that these isolated incidents do not define the overall safety of the city and its residents.
Wike assured residents that there is a strategic programme initiated by his administration to improve the security of the FCT.
“If there is one safe city in this country, I think Abuja is that city, the problem we have here is that when one incident happens, we forget that three months ago, nothing happened. You should give us and the security agencies credit that we are doing quite a lot to make Abuja safe, and Abuja has been safe.
“We do agree that something may happen but that does not mean that Abuja is not safe…I don’t want us to take that to mean that the city is not safe. If there is one safe city in this country, I think Abuja is that city”, Wike said.
Recall that within the space of two days, the nation’s capital city witnessed two major incidents of killings and kidnappings.
On September 29, an Arise News anchor Somtochukwu Maduagwu died during a robbery incident on her estate located in the Katampe area of Abuja.
Maduagwu, a 29-year-old lawyer and news anchor was said to have jumped to her death during the incident.
Her death has caused outrage among Nigerians with residents and several leaders highlighting the growing insecurity in the FCT.
Subsequently, the former chairman of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) FCT chapter, Dr Ifeanyi Ogbu was killed by some yet-to-be-identified gunmen in the Kubwa area of Abuja.
Politics Nigeria gathered that Ogbu was abducted from his residence alongside his three children by the armed men.
While his children are still in captivity, Ogbu’s body was later found dumped by the roadside near his home.
The renowned doctor left behind a nursing wife and other family members who are said to hope for the children’s safe rescue from captivity.
