Stakeholders and residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the federal government to channel part of the recovered $308m Sani Abacha loot to the establishment of FCT Security Trust Fund in order to combat the growing menace of violent crimes and criminality in the territory.
The stakeholders that included indigenous groups, traditional rulers and none indigenous groups, lamented the state of insecurity in the FCT, which they said if not tackled urgently through the establishment of Security Trust Fund, would get out of hands.
President of Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO), Commandant Isaac David, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders, Sunday in Abuja, said if part of the recovered money is channeled into a security trust fund, it will serve as a robust option to put an end to the challenge of insecurity.
David said if the money is channeled into the fund, it would be used for the acquisition and deployment of security equipment and such human, material, and financial resources as shall be found necessary for the effective functioning of all security agencies operating in the FCT.
He also said some of the funds would be reserved for the training and retraining of security personnel and the recruitment and training of youth from the 858 communities in the FCT as volunteers.
“One of the primary responsibilities of the fund is the provision of operational and logistic support for the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), and it will help in no small measure to address the state’s peculiar security situation through prompt provision of necessary professional and logistical supports for the various security agencies in the FCT to operate seamlessly.
“Being the administrative and diplomatic nerve centre of Nigeria, Abuja has its peculiar security challenges. It is sheer human density driven by an increasing population due to endless survival and economic driven immigration makes it naturally attractive to criminal activities.
“The fund will assist in swiftly addressing some of the FCT’s most critical security concerns. The fund is a practical response to the reality of the operational deficiency of the various security agencies within the state, particularly with respect to funding and provision of modern equipment,” he said
