Public outrage over kidnapping unnecessary, says Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has blamed politicians for creating tension and propaganda to gaslight kidnap cases in the capital city.

He stated this in a now-deleted video shared by a platform – Symfoni News on its YouTube handle.

However, an extraction of the video was shared on the X platform before it was deleted.

“Some politicians are bent on making sure the government does not survive. And how do you do it? By creating unnecessary tension, carrying propaganda that something just happened here, they tell you it has happened 25 times. You must understand how our system works. They are those who are blackmailers, who are paid,” he said.

While describing the politicians as paid blackmailers, Wike decried public outrage over kidnapping as unnecessary saying, “You cannot stop total crime. Let somebody tell me as a professional that there is anywhere in this world where there is no crime. Because kidnapping happened last night in one or two places, therefore, there is insecurity in the whole of FCT. That is not correct.”

He lamented that citizens do not complement government efforts and are ready to fault areas that have not been resolved.

“When we came here, people say everything in Abuja has collapsed, no street light, no road. How many of you have even come out to commend us in these five months? All you do is pick one that has not been solved or that appears to be the problem. You forget the ones that the government has put effort which has yielded results,” he added.

Wike, last Wednesday had said the Federal Government would not condone any form of bandit attack in Abuja.

He said this at a town hall meeting he had with residents of the Bwari Area Council of the FCT.

He convened the meeting following increasing reports of kidnapping for ransom and killing in the FCT.

Earlier, he met with heads of security agencies in the FCT, top officials of the FCT Administration, and Chairmen of the six area councils, where he stated that the administration was aware of the security situation in the territory.

Recall that five of the six sisters of the Al-Kadriyar family were kidnapped alongside 19 others by bandits in the Bwari area of Abuja recently and regained their freedom on Saturday, January 20.

Gunmen killed the eldest of the six sisters – Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, and three others, and dumped their corpses in an isolated area.

Meanwhile, the Senator Representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, said the Senate will summon Wike over the rising rate of insecurity in Abuja.

Kingibe, on Sunday, disclosed that the Senate will summon Wike and heads of security agencies over the spike in crimes in the nation's capital.

She said, “When the Senate resumes, I plan that the (Senate) FCT committee specifically needs to sit with the two ministers and the security agencies for them to give us their plans concerning security.

“It is not that I am hoping. I know he will be summoned. But whether he responds or not is a different matter entirely. But as the chief security officer of the FCT, he should have a plan.

“He should be able to tell us, the committee, and specifically me, that this is the plan for protecting the people of the FCT. Between him, the police commissioner, and the head of the DSS, they must have a plan.”