In a decisive move to stem the rising tide of insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Minister, Nyesom Wike, has ordered the clearance of Kobi Forest, a notorious hideout for criminals linked to recent kidnapping incidents in the Guzape and Asokoro Village axis of Abuja.
The move is part of a broader security sweep that has also seen the impounding and crushing of not less than 700 rogue vehicles and motorcycles within the last five months.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) had, in April this year, crushed some 601 motorcycles and impounded them for violating traffic regulations in the federal capital city.
According to the FCT, the development reinforced its ongoing campaign against the use of commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, within prohibited areas of the city.
Speaking at the crushing exercise, Mandate Secretary for Transport, Elechi Chinedum, explained that the action was backed by existing laws geared at enhancing both security and traffic order in the capital.
The FCTA, under Wike’s directive, has also begun deploying drone surveillance technology to monitor ungoverned spaces in and around the city.
Kobi Forest, a vast and hilly stretch of cashew plantation straddling Kobi and Paduma 3 villages, was cleared yesterday after it was linked to a deadly kidnapping on September 15, 2025. During the incident, armed men abducted two
villagers — who were later rescued — and killed a local vigilante commander, identified as Bello.
Speaking during the commencement of the forest clearance, Director of Development Control, Muktar Galadima, clarified that the operation was to dismantle the operational base of criminal elements, who have long used the facility as both transit and refuge.
Wike also declared that Abuja would undergo a far-reaching infrastructural transformation before the end of President Bola Ahme Tinubu’s first term in office.
Flagging off three road projects in the last three days out of the 12 scheduled
before October, the minister yesterday reassured the people Monday while flagging off the construction of access roads ILS 02 and ILS 03 (Timipre Sylva Street) in Mabushi District of the FCT.
He described the projects as a clear testament to the Tinubu administration’s commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The two projects include the full scope development of Arterial Road N1 from Wuye District to Ring Road II; construction of the Northern Parkway from Ring Road II to Ring Road III.
