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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said it has arrested 212 scavengers who were terrorising the peace of the nation’s capital with their deadly activities in the last two months.
FCT Commissioner of police Haruna Garba, who made the disclosure, said the arrests were carried out following a raid on their hideouts in various parts of the city, and that they have since been arraigned in court.
Garba said this when he received the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 7, on a familiarisation visit to the command. He said for some time now, activities of scavengers have become a source of concern and threat to the residents, as they have resorted to destroying the critical infrastructures in the FCT and engage in armed robbery, theft and other violent crimes.
Welcoming the AIG to the command, the commissioner said: “The FCT, as you are aware, is the seat of the national government in Nigeria. It is a mini-Nigeria as all the ethnic groups in the country are represented here in Abuja. The good, the bad and ugly are here in FCT. This makes the job of law enforcement very difficult.”
He said the FCT is bordered by Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Kaduna States, and has a population of over 5 million people. The FCT command comprises six Area Commands, 46 Divisional Headquarters; 99 Out Stations/Out Posts.
He told the AIG that the command, under his leadership, is doing all it can to restore public confidence in the Force by encouraging the people to participate in the activities that would ultimately reduce crime and criminality. He said in policing the FCT, personnel are made to adhere to professional ethics, abide by code of conduct and respect the rights of the people.
On some of the measures taken to rid criminals from the FCT, the commissioner said the command had just concluded the technical committee meeting of the G7 states, including the FCT, among others.
on the way forward, adding that “a simultaneous clearance operation is a strategic approach that has been considered by the member of the technical committee. This operation, if carried out with the support of the governors and ministers of the G7 states, will reduce crime and criminality will reduce to the barest minimum.
To fight crime and criminality in the FCT, he said we have adopted so many strategies, and this has been yielding positive results.
He said: “The command has embarked on massive raids in the last two months on black/criminal hotspots and uncompleted buildings and canals. The outcome has been positive as suspected armed robbers are being arrested on a daily basis. In addition, many recoveries, in terms of firearms and hard drugs, were also made.
“In the last two months, the command has clamped down on activities of the scavengers, otherwise known as Bababolas, whose habit is to destroy the critical infrastructures in the FCT. Their activities have become a source of concern and threat to the residents of the FCT. They have been involved in theft and destruction of critical infrastructures in the FCT.
In the last two months, 212 scavengers have been arrested and arraigned in court. The police commissioner, while noting the numerous successes recorded by the command to curb activities of criminals, however, lamented that the challenges of the command, which include inadequate manpower, especially drivers, inadequate patrol vehicles and fuelling patrol vehicles, to undertake round-the-clock patrol of the city.
In his address, the AIG, said: “Though there were pockets of incidents of armed robbery and kidnapping in the recent past, I must commend the efforts of the Commissioner of Police FCT and his management team, as well as all officers and men of the FCT command for several breakthroughs that have been recorded in recent times.
“There have been arrests of notorious kingpins, recoveries of arms and ammunition, sustained raids and rescue of kidnapped victims within the FCT and suburbs. I note, with commendation, your strategic partnership with other security agencies within the FCT. This goes to show that you are in tune with reality. The present challenges require a multifaceted approach, and no single agency in the present circumstances can do it all alone. Notwithstanding, the commendable achievements recorded so far, there is room for improvement. Modern policing is intelligence led, community based and technology driven.
He charged them to work harder to enhance our intelligence capacity and capability, take advantage of the police Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), Crime Database Unit, NPF National Cybercrime Section and the NPF Interpol, among others, to enhance our proactive policing and improve on visibility policing.
He also charged them to sustain strategic partnership with other security agencies and other stakeholders, improve on traffic control within the FCT, reinvigorate stop-and-search devoid of extortion, effectively man black spots and sustain the present tempo in raid of criminal hideouts, engage the local communities more in the policing of the communities, work together in agreement to restore professionalism in the police, ensure efficient utilisation of resources and build confidence, among others.
