In alleviating the panics of residents in Abuja caused by the recent security menace in the area, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has deployed additional security personnel around the Federal Capital Territory to strengthen the security of lives and critical assets.
Abuja has been well protected and generally peaceful over the years, but now it is facing challenges as terrorists are beginning to breach security in the state. Punch Newspaper reported last week Thursday that terrorists attacked a military checkpoint near the Zuma rock, a border between Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in Niger state.
Last month, terrorists took a very daring raid on a Nigerian prison in Abuja that freed around 440 inmates, raising fears that the northeast insecurity is spreading to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In November 2021, the University of Abuja staff quarters were invaded by armed men, and six people were reportedly abducted, including two professors. This move by the NPF in deploying additional personnel to the area is a strategic one, and shows that the police force is taking a countervailing step in controlling the insurgency in the FCT.
Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Police Force, in a press release today August 2, 2022, stated “the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc(+), NPM, FDC, has allayed the fears of residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs concerning the recent perceived security threats.”
Adejobi stated that the NPF has “ordered massive deployment of additional police operatives and operational assets within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its environs to solidify the security and protection of lives and property of its residents, critical national assets and vulnerable facilities as well as road users plying routes in and around the FCT”.
CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi also stated that “the Inspector-General of Police has assured Nigerians in general, and residents of the FCT in particular, of their safety and security, while urging them to go about their lawful duties without fear of attacks. He equally reiterated the firm determination of the Police leadership to continue to explore avenues to enhance the security architecture in the country, through intelligence gathering, operational deployments, and application of cutting-edge technology to decimate the activities of criminal elements across the count”
In reducing the tension in Abuja and the country as a whole, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has also warned the public of the dangers of spreading false alarms and untrue information, stating that they could be counter-productive and destructive to security.
