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By Lawrence Agbo
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims of banditry in Abuja, insisting that while crime may occur, there are no bandits operating within the nation’s capital.
Speaking on recent security concerns, Wike said isolated incidents should not be exaggerated to create panic or misrepresent the security situation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“There’s no place in the world, even in developed countries, where you won’t find some form of crime. I don’t believe in banditry; there are no bandits in Abuja,” he said.
The minister noted that Abuja remains an open and attractive city, which naturally draws people from different backgrounds, but maintained that this does not translate to organised bandit activity.
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“It’s a city where people will want to come and do all kinds of things by kidnapping… this and that.”
Wike also expressed concern that public discourse often focuses on individual incidents without acknowledging efforts to curb crime or improve security outcomes.
“The point is that we only hear one incident, but nobody has said, Oh, we have been able to curb or reduce this.”
His comments come amid growing public debate over safety in the FCT, with deployment of additional suicide bombers following Monday’s deadly explosions that left at least 23 people dead and over 100 injured.
