Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have expressed concern over the security situation in the territory and the nation in general, and said they do not feel safe in the FCT anymore.
These fears were expressed by a cross-section of residents who spoke with LEADERSHIP, following the bomb attack on the United Nations building last Friday, in which over 20 people lost their lives.
One of them, a psychologist, Mr. Sanusi Mamman, said he no longer felt safe to live in Abuja because of the spate of bombings in the city, most of which the Boko Haram group had claimed responsibility for.
He said, “We have many entry and exit points in the FCT but the stop and search they do is not really effective. You will discover that when there is an attack, the search is intensified and they relax after one week and when the perpetrators notice that they have relaxed, they will strike again.
“I do not believe in the group, what is going on could be political, tribal or religious. The perpetrators may not be Boko Haram as being portrayed. Some other persons may be using their name to cause mayhem in the country.”
He further said the federal government was not taking the right approach to the issue, adding that even with the recent attack on the UN building, the government had not said anything different to suggest that it was serious about combating the crime.
Mamman advised the government to go back to the drawing board, re-strategise, seek foreign help where necessary and come up with a solution to the problem, just as he attributed the crime to economic growth, saying it was almost impossible for the economy of any country to grow without crimes of this nature.
For Mrs. Anthonia Ugo, going out to public places was now one thing she dreaded most as no one could tell the next target any more. She added, “If I had my way, I won’t even go to work because I work in a public establishment, which may also be a target of the perpetrators.”
Another resident, Umar Mohammed, noted that there was palpable fear among residents of the FCT such that Muslim faithful could not even break their fast the way they used to formerly, during Ramadan, as it was now unheard of for people to gather without a crime taking place there.
Mohammed also took a swipe at the police in the FCT, saying those of them sent to check points across the city were not doing their job but were only interested in extorting money from residents.
He said, “They stop you on the road that they are searching for bombs but their interest is money. Every day when you are coming from Nyanya road and Airport road, you must part with at least N500 before you are allowed to go. They are not doing anything as far as I am concerned and if the government wants, they can give the public a website where pictures of police men extorting money from people would be posted,” he added.
He further noted that while the Boko Haram sect may not be responsible for all the attacks, it was important that they be granted amnesty so that peace can return to the country.
Mohammed said, “During Yar’Adua’s administration, he invited the militants, shook hands with them to prove to them that he holds nothing against them and I expect this president to do same because they are just killing innocent people in the country and this is not right.”
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