From Left: Mr Lawrence Alobi, former CP, FCT, Mr Bala Ciroma (M) CP, FCT and Alhaji Adamu Yunusa, Ona of Abaji, during the Town Half Meeting on Security Challenges in FCT. Photo: Collins Yakubu-Hammer
The Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Bala Ciroma, has promised to continue the fight against ‘One Chance’ taxi operators, Cultism and car snatchers.
Ciroma made the promise during a town hall meeting on “Security Challenges in the Federal Capital Territory”, held in Abuja on Wednesday.
The town hall meeting was organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalist, FCT Council, in collaboration with Human Right Radio, Abuja.
Ciroma said that the Police had robust plans for security in the FCT.
“We will continue to checkmate the criminal activities of ‘one chance operators’, cultism, car snatchers, armed robbers and other criminal elements in the FCT.
“We have opened a special unit to handle ‘one chance’ operators.
“We were able to get some of them and have put them behind bars; we are chasing the others and some are under investigation.
“I want to say that ‘one chance’ operators are not registered with any road union; they use unregistered cars to operate in isolation of registered road unions.
“We are collaborating with the VIOs to handle unregistered cars in the FCT.
“We also need collaboration with members of the public and area councils. It is always cheaper to prevent crime than when it has already happened.
“If you buy a car of one million naira, you should be able to put a tracker or security gadgets, that are not less than five thousand naira. These gadgets can also help the Police in doing their work effectively.
“However, I believe in quality service delivery. I believe in giving my very best. And for you to achieve, there should be a feedback which will help me to go back to the drawing board to re-strategise.
“There is no society that is free from one form of crime or the other. The best that can be done is to reduce it to the lowest level of occurrence,” Ciroma said.
Meanwhile, a former Police commissioner in the FCT, Mr Lawrence Alobi, has said that there was the need for the media to actively play the role of ‘watch dog’ of the society, by exposing crimes and criminals.
According to him, every Police Division is supposed to have not less than 10 patrol vehicles, to effectively police their area of coverage.
“Logistics and lack of street naming are challenges that make it difficult for the Police to carry out their work effectively.
“Therefore, there is need for government and all Nigerians to appreciate and support the Police to carry out their constitutional responsibility.
“The Police are not spirits neither are they magicians; they need support to excel,” Alobi stressed.
One of the panelists, Emmanuel Onwubiko, Executive Director, Human Right Writers, argued that security personnel were in the habit of brutalising suspects, including journalists.
Onwubiko stressed that the Police needed to build synergy with the public and media.
“The Police should play the game by the rules; they need to behave like Police of nowadays and not Police of the colonial era where only government officials were protected.
“In other countries, there is CCTV everywhere; when a crime is committed, the CCTV always helps in apprehending the culprits.
“Our Police here need to take up their responsibilities and also be held accountable for any unprofessional conduct,” he said.
