The Federal Capital Territory has recorded a drop in incidents of kidnappings and other crimes across the territory in 2024. Adamu Gwary, the Director of the Security Service Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), made this known during the department’s end-of-year news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Gwary described kidnappings as one of the major areas of security concern in rural communities across the FCT, particularly in 2023.
“Today, we can beat our chest to say that the number of reported cases of kidnappings has significantly dropped.
“Before now, you can hardly go a week without having a reported case of kidnapping.
“Now, when we check our statistics, you will notice that sometimes a whole month will go by without any incident,” he said.
The director, a fellow of the National Defence College, also said that the incidence of one-chance crime has drastically dropped compared to the situation in 2023. He added that the current operation against the use of tinted glasses across the city has contributed to the declining incidents of one chance.
He also said that the operations against scavengers, street hawkers and beggars also yielded the desired result. He said that the measure had rid the city of criminal elements disguised as scavengers, beggars and street hawkers.
According to him, FCT is safer and more secure today, when compared with the security situation in early and middle of 2023.
“Looking at the outgoing year, there are a lot of changes that the department does in terms of executing our assigned responsibility.
“Traditionally, we used to generate a monthly Intelligence report, process the same and transmit it to the office of the National Security Adviser for further action.
“This year we have done it differently by bringing our statistical information about crime and criminality, particularly the level of success our security agencies achieved in terms of busting crime, arm recovery and other activities of our security personnel.
“The data were generated to ensure that at least, it helps the administration in terms of assessing the performance of our security agencies for planning purposes.
“For instance, when we look at our statistical information, we look at what crimes are most prevalent, where the administration will channel its energy toward addressing the same.”
Gwary attributed the successes to the measures put in place by the FCT Administration in collaboration with security agencies and the support of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
He said that the minister has supported the department in ensuring that security agencies in the FCT were effectively supported to improve their operations and coverage.