By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has commissioned 30 units of operational vehicles donated to commands and divisions of the Nigeria Police Force by the Abuja Municipal Area Council, (AMAC) in Abuja to tackle insecurity in the territory.
Aliyu disclosed that the donation was part of the AMAC Chairman Adamu Candido’s contribution in assisting the police force in fighting crimes within the area council in particular and the Federal Capital Territory.
She pointed out that the increasing reliance on technology has made it essential to secure every aspect of the environment, noting that security begins with good prevention and basic knowledge.”
Aliyu also explained that since the outbreak of the coronavirus and government declaration of state of emergency, commercial burglaries have almost doubled in major cities across Nigeria, adding that in times like these, swift and smart operations are more important than ever.
In this wise, the handing over of these operational vehicles is in line with our mandate not just to deliver dividends of democracy to our people, but also to protect lives and property of citizens, she stressed.
Furthermore the minister reiterated the FCT Administration’s commitment in the provisions of basic amenities, as well as maintain the existing ones, while tasking residents to justify government’s investment in their communities.
She commended the leadership of Abuja Municipal Area Council for equipping the police in fighting crimes, as she called on residents to assist the police with useful informations that would aid them for the overall peaceful coexistence of their various councils.
Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Abdullahi Adamu Candido, explained that the purpose for the donation of the security vehicles to the police formation is to collaborate with other actors in the fight against crimes overwehelming the nation’s capital.
The AMAC boss stressed that the creation of AMAC Marshal Guards, a security outfit is geared towards tackling the security challenges in the council and ultimately to provide intelligence gathering to other conventional security outfits, engaging in surveillance activities and rendering security services.
Candido revealed that since the creation of AMAC Marshals in 2016, the outfit has employed not less than 600 youths from the council, noting that the increasing unemployment rate has heightened insecurity in the society.
According to him, “this has helped to reduce unemployment rate of our youths drastically and has also lessened criminal activities within the council”.
The highpoint of the event was the official handing over of the keys to the Inspector General of Police by the FCT Minister of State.
