FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has vowed not to allow the granting of bail to kidnappers.
This was as he directed Chairmen of the six Area Councils in the territory to commence monthly security meetings to improve the security situation in their areas of jurisdiction or risk sanctions.
The minister gave the directive on Friday during a security town hall meeting at the Abuja Municipal Area Council AMAC.
Wike told the stakeholders to notify him should any of the chairmen fail to hold the monthly security meeting.
He said any council chairman who does not hold monthly security council meetings becomes a threat to the security of the council.
The minister said; “Gone were the days when kidnappers would be granted bail. I will not allow it again. We will ensure that the kidnapper is punished. How will a kidnapper be granted bail?
“Therefore, I will be calling meetings of all traditional leaders, meeting with all council chairmen and meeting with all security agencies. “If there is no monthly meeting held in terms of security in the councils, I should be aware, and I will hold that chairman responsible for any security breach.
“If you do your job, I do my job, traditional leaders do their own jobs, and security agencies do their own job, we won’t have problems. But if you don’t do your own part, I don’t do my own part, he does not do his own part, then we are bound to have security problems.”
Wike assured residents that the government would provide everything that security agencies require to help them to perform their duties. “They don’t have the needed logistics and communication gadgets, yet we want them to perform wonders, we want them to perform miracles.
“If they don’t have information, they will not perform miracles; if they don’t have information no wonders would be performed.
“Our is not to carry guns; ours is to provide information through the Area Councils, through our traditional rulers; and through my office, then to security agencies. When we give them information, they will take proactive actions,” he said.
