Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, said this at a media briefing on Monday in Abuja.

The Minister said while he would not go into details, the informants recently arrested by security agencies in the territory are cooperating and offering actionable intelligence.

He said; “So many facilities were not provided. Vehicles for the security agencies are not there. You cannot believe it that equipment to track criminals are not there. When anything happens, they go back to the Office of the National Security Adviser or to the Force Headquarters. That is not the way it is supposed to be.

“When I was the Governor of Rivers state, the DSS told me they wanted a particular equipment. We were the only state that had it then. In fact, sometimes the headquarters asked for its use. That is a special equipment they needed and that equipment, we know how expensive it is but we had it and that was able to help us reduce the level of crime. It was able to track the specific phones not one that would say for example the criminals are around the city here. With that equipment, it was specific. It can track a particular phone to the exact spot or room. So, what we have done with the approval of Mr President, giving us approval for emergency procurement, we have been able to identify what each of the agencies need and we will be able now to provide them.

“Again before we came on board, the police had said that they had requested procurement of certain number of motorcycles where vehicles cannot get to- the remote and mountainous areas. Unfortunately, they were not provided but we are going to do that now.

“Security is not just these equipment. You also have to motivate the personnel. I don’t want to talk about the strategies because we are talking security now.

He said; “So many facilities were not provided. Vehicles for the security agencies are not there. You cannot believe it that equipment to track criminals are not there. When anything happens, they go back to the Office of the National Security Adviser or to the Force Headquarters. That is not the way it is supposed to be.

“When I was the Governor of Rivers state, the DSS told me they wanted a particular equipment. We were the only state that had it then. In fact, sometimes the headquarters asked for its use. That is a special equipment they needed and that equipment, we know how expensive it is but we had it and that was able to help us reduce the level of crime. It was able to track the specific phones not one that would say for example the criminals are around the city here. With that equipment, it was specific. It can track a particular phone to the exact spot or room. So, what we have done with the approval of Mr President, giving us approval for emergency procurement, we have been able to identify what each of the agencies need and we will be able now to provide them.

“Again before we came on board, the police had said that they had requested procurement of certain number of motorcycles where vehicles cannot get to- the remote and mountainous areas. Unfortunately, they were not provided but we are going to do that now.

“Security is not just these equipment. You also have to motivate the personnel. I don’t want to talk about the strategies because we are talking security now.

“Assuming Mr President did not approve this emergency procurement, we had been to the Bureau for Public Procurement since December to allow is to procure under emergency. If you don’t and you have to go the whole hog of the processes, it can take you two months and that is not what you tell members of the public, that procurement process is a problem.”

The family of Chief Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun, the First Minister of the (Nigeria’s) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is dead

A statement signed by Oluremi Ajose-Adeogun on behalf of the family said the patriarch passed on 1st July 2023.

The 96-year-old, Chief Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun (12th May 1927 to 1st July 2023) of Ita-Aladan Obun-Eko, 8/9 Ajose Court, Isalè Eko, Lagos, is the Okanlomo of the Source – Ile Ife.

He had a distinguished career with Shell Petroleum (West Africa) and upon retirement was later appointed Federal Commissioner for Cooperatives and Supply (August 1975) and thereafter, Commissioner for Special Duties, Federal Capital Development Authority.

Later, in 1976, when the Federal Capital Territory was formed, Chief Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun became the First Minister of the FCT and was responsible for the implementation of the main Master Plan for Abuja.

He went on to have a successful career in manufacturing and real estate.