HURIWA bemoans robbery attacks in Abuja, alleges commercialisation of police services

Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, bemoaned the upsurge in cases of robbery and kidnapping by bandits in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja in the last few weeks.

The group in a statement by its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the security apparatus of the nation’s political capital has been compromised and policemen who are supposed to stem the tide have unfortunately commercialised their services to the highest bidder.

HURIWA called for a rejig of the entire security architecture of the FCT and sought strict punishment for police officers, who commercialise their services to places and persons after they have been heavily paid.

Recall that on Friday, armed robbers numbering about 30 invaded the Wuse 2 area of Abuja and robbed about 15 flats in Agadez Crescent for several hours without help.

Also, bandits last Monday attacked the Efab Mini-Estate inside the bigger Genuine Estate in Abuja, which operated from 1:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., and kidnapped a number of residents.

Similarly, terrorists attacked the Kuje prison on Tuesday and freed over 600 inmates including scores of Boko Haram members.

Reacting, Onwubiko said: “Robbers, kidnappers, terrorists are now operating freely inside Abuja municipal as police and soldiers guard only houses where their services were contracted and paid and leave the unprotected houses where hundreds of thousands of residents live to be on their own.

“There is no gainsaying that the security architecture of Abuja has failed and the political authority beginning from President Muhammadu Buhari, who by law is the governor of Abuja and the Minister of FCT have nothing to give to stave off these attacks.

“Even security in AsoRock Presidential Area was in the last one year compromised when suspected robbers invaded the houses of two top personal aides of President Muhammadu Buhari, including his Chief of Staff.

“The heightened insecurity in the political capital has implications on the status of Abuja globally because foreign nationals will now no longer be comfortable visiting and foreign direct investments will inevitably dry up as the risk of staying in Abuja jumps up.”

Consequently, HURIWA urged the government to set up a strong oversight body in place of the police service commission to punish police officers who are usually posted to do commercialised security jobs in private houses.