‘By Wisdom Acka (www.abujadigest.info)
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced a N20 million bounty on two criminals terrorising residents of the Territory.
The Minister made the announcement on Wednesday in Abuja, at the Police Command head office during parade of 15 suspected kidnappers and one chance robbers.
Wike instructed that the two notorious criminals, who are at large, should be fished out “dead or alive.”
The bounty was made in response to the FCT Police Commissioner’s remarks that his men were trailing the two other criminals who were still on the run.
His words: “You said there are two criminals on the run? Let me put money on their heads. Wherever they are, send your men out there, I will give them N20 million.”
“Go and fish them out, wherever they are. I want to see them dead or alive,” Wike said.
The Minister, who could not hide his joy over arrest of the criminals, commended the Commissioner and his men for the wonderful job; stating, “the difference is clear.”
He assured the command that he would do everything possible to provide the Police with needed equipment to fight crimes in the FCT.
“Let me assure the residents of FCT that with the support of President Bola Tinubu, we are fully prepared to take the war to the criminals. I trust the Police and our confidence in them is getting stronger,” he added.
The Minister stressed that information was key to winning the war against crime; adding that without information, there was nothing security agencies could do, even as he urged them to do more on intelligence gathering.
Speaking earlier, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, revealed that the criminals were arrested within the last two days.
Igweh explained that men of the command, attached to Mabushi Divisional Headquarters, arrested eight suspected armed robbers operating ‘one chance’ vehicles to rob FCT residents.
“Acting on credible intelligence, the suspects, who are responsible for several ‘one chance’ activities in the past, were trailed to the Central Area in an attempt to rob some innocent residents and were arrested,” he said.
“The suspects confessed to using toy guns and knives to scare their victims to illegally obtain from them,” he added.
The Commissioner said that the suspects would be charged to Court soon.
He added that acting on credible intelligence, the operatives of Utako Divisional Headquarters, along with the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Command on Feb. 13, arrested seven suspected kidnappers.
He explained that the suspects were arrested in Pyakasa, Tudun Wada and Ketti villages in FCT, in connection with the kidnapping of 14 persons in the Territory.
“They are responsible for the kidnapping of five victims in Federal Mortgage Housing Estate, Kabusa, three people at Ketti village, and other residents of Alhaji Sani. They are also responsible for the kidnap of a woman and her gate man in Kabusa Estate, one Mr Sunday Zakwai and four others and equally Killed the District Head of the area,” the Police Commissioner disclosed.
“The criminals also kidnapped two staff at Defence Estate Kabusa,” he further disclosed.
Igweh revealed that N20 million cash, six AK 47 rifles, bulletproof vests and locally fabricated walkie talkies were recovered from the suspecst.
According to him, all the suspects would be charged to court.