Run away from Abuja, new FCT police boss warns kidnappers

The newly appointed FCT police command boss, CP Bennet Igwe, has asked kidnappers and other criminals to make haste and run away from Abuja, saying that their days are now numbered.

Igwe gave the warning today after taking over from the former CP, Garba Haruna.

“I want to appreciate Mr President and the Inspector-General of Police for finding him worthy. I also that the FCT minister for his support. My message to kidnappers and armed robbers is that their time is up,” Igwe said.

“In our laws, there is nothing like ‘one chance’. One chance is simply armed robbery and they will be treated as armed robbers.”

He noted that FCT would experience peace from now on. Adding that kidnappers should be ready to shoot him or he shoots them.

“Another option for them is to run away. I am not new to FCT. I know the terrain in FCT, which is an added advantage for me,” Igwe said.

Just a few minutes after taking over, the police boss mobilized dozens of Armoured Personnel Carriers and patrol vehicles filled with combat-ready policemen to Bwari area, the kidnapping hotbed of FCT.

The kidnapping spree in FCT has reached an alarming rate as a Director of the Federal Housing Authority was on Thursday abducted by suspected bandits.

Spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, could not be reached on telephone as at 12.30am Thursday.

Also, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, could not be reached for comments on the incident.

The abduction reportedly happened very close to a military base at the entrance of Bwari very close to Pambara Extension.

The part of Pambara Extension where Mr Ver was kidnapped is just about 200 metres away from the military base.

The kidnappers were said to have escaped through the bushes with their victim.

The FCT has been confronted with alarming surge in insecurity, leading to fear and apprehension in outskirts of the city.

The FHA spokesperson, Kenneth Chigelu has confirmed the incident, explaining that the Director is staff of its Mortgage Bank, an autonomous institution.

Chigelu said the kidnapping stalled the FHA event scheduled for the handing over of 40 housing units to owners in Gwarinpa on Thursday.