The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has come under fire over his cavalier handling of the abduction epidemic rocking the nation’s capital, which he blamed on political detractors.
Angered by his statement, the Northern Elders Forum, Middle Belt Forum Youth Forum, and other stakeholders chastised the former Rivers State governor, describing his utterance as insensitive and unfortunate.
Under Wike, the FCT had come under massive attacks from bandits who abducted residents who paid huge ransoms to secure their freedom.
At the last count, over 25 persons had been taken away in the past two weeks while no fewer than four victims were gunned down by their captors for failing to cough out a ransom.
But reacting to the development during a media chat on Monday, Wike said the tension over the kidnappings was unnecessary, stressing that crimes could not be eliminated.
The video of the media interaction was uploaded on YouTube and later deleted.
“Some politicians are bent on making sure the government does not survive. And how do you do it? By creating unnecessary tension, and 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 had said.
Wike dismissed the public outrage over the kidnappings 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.
The Punch
