In a bid to consolidate on the successes recorded in the fight against insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory, Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike has handed over 60 motorcycles to the Vigilance Group of Nigeria (VGN) and other security agencies.
Wike, while presenting the motorcycles to security agencies in Abuja, also gave 30 motorcycles to the Nigeria Police and five each to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The minister warned that the motorcycles must not be used in the townships but in hard-to-reach parts of the territory to fight insecurity.
He charged the VGN to utilise the motorcycles to assist the Police and other security agencies in combating crimes particularly in the rural areas of the FCT, expressing appreciation to the group for its selfless sacrifices to secure lives and property in the nation’s capital.
“Remember that security agencies requested for specialised motorcycles that will be used particularly in the rural areas. The vigilance teams will use them in the six Area Councils, and then the Police, the SSS, and the Civil Defence will also want to do theirs.
“Let me caution, particularly to the security agencies, I do not want to hear stories tomorrow that the motorcycles are nowhere to be found again. I do not want to hear such stories, because sometimes when you give out vehicles, before you knew it, the vehicles are no more there.
“Please utilise these motorcycles to fight crimes in the areas you have identified. Ordinarily, the chairmen of the area councils ought to handle this, but this is our support to them in the councils,” he said.
Wike stressed that they should make sure the motorcycles are given out to the vigilance teams, saying that they are going to provide logistics for those who are going to use the motorcycles.
“We are going to provide logistics for them. We have promised the residents of Abuja and the Area Councils that security is a priority for the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Anything we can do to protect lives and properties; we are going to do it. So, I urge you to use it well, and take it not for commercial purposes. I don’t want to see the motorcycles in the city here. It should be used in the rural areas, so, they should not be used here.
“We are already trying to see how we can phase out motorcycles here, so please let it be taken to the rural areas. All the security agencies, the outposts, give it to them,” he said.
According to the minister, they do not want to continue to hear excuses that the terrain is so bad now that they have been given the motorcycles, that although the motorcycles may not be enough, they will continue to provide more.
“For vehicles, we believe by the next two weeks, the vehicles would have been ready to give out to the security agencies. For us, we will not relent until those who say we will not sleep, they too will also not sleep,” he stated.
The Commandant General of the Vigilance Group of Nigeria VGN, Navy Captain Abubakar Umar(rtd.), commended the minister for donating operational motorcycles to the group to enhance community security in the six area councils of the nation’s capital.