In the efforts of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, in the fight against kidnappers in Abuja, the Minister has handed over 60 motorcycles to the Vigilance Group of Nigeria.

It was reported that the Minister 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.

Wike warned that the motorcycles must not be used in the townships but in hard-to-reach parts of the territory to fight insecurity.

While he charged the VGN to utilize the motorcycles to assist the Police and other security agencies in combating crimes, particularly in the rural areas of the FCT, the minister expressed appreciation to the group for its selfless sacrifices to secure lives and property in the nation’s capital.

He said, “Remember that security agencies requested specialized motorcycles that will be used mainly 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 don’t want to hear stories tomorrow that the motorcycles are nowhere to be found again. I don’t want to hear such stories because sometimes when you give out vehicles before you know it, the cars are no longer there. Please utilize 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.

“Make sure that these motorcycles are given out to the vigilance teams, and we will provide logistics for those who use these 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. They should be used in 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. We do not want to continue to hear excuses that the terrain is so bad; they require this and that, and they have not been given. Now that you have been given these may not be enough, we 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”.

The Commandant General of the Vigilance Group of Nigeria Navy, Captain Abubakar Bakori Umar(retd), reacting to the gesture, commended the Minister for donating operational motorcycles to the group to enhance community security in the six Area Councils of the nation’s capital.