FCT: Police to deploy special horses, motorbikes, dismiss Abuja under siege claim

Horses, motorcycles and other detection tools are set to be deployed for intelligence gathering in the Federal Capital Authority, police authorities have said.

The FCT Joint Security Team also on Sunday described as fake news, a viral publication on social media claiming that the territory was under heavy attack by the Boko Haram terrorists.

The joint security team was constituted for effective security coordination in Abuja and its environs in the wake of the worsening security situation in the country.

The unconfirmed report of a terrorist attack on the FCT was highlighted on social media a few days after a security advisory issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria to its workers across the country.

The memo, addressed to all staff members of the bank, among other things, warned them against irrelevant travels, keeping late nights and flamboyant lifestyles that could attract criminals infiltrating Abuja.

In a statement on Sunday, the spokesperson for the FCT command of the Nigeria Police Force, ASP Mariam Yusuf, said the alleged invasion of Abuja by terrorists was mischievous.

“The joint security team of the FCT wishes to refute the mischievous publication targeted at creating palpable tension amongst the well-spirited residents of the FCT.

“Contrary to the speculation, the Heads of Security Agencies (HOSA) in the Federal Capital Territory in bid to address security concerns within the FCT held a strategic meeting on Thursday, April 29, 2021, where the team resolved to deploy alternative proactive crime-fighting measures within the FCT particularly in areas with challenging terrain including aggressive motorized/foot patrols.

“However, the patrols will be conducted in line with the peculiarities of every terrain within the territory. In other words, the team has adopted the use of motorcycles, horses and other technical means of gathering intelligence to checkmate criminality within the FCT.

“In view of the above, the joint security team chaired by the Commissioner of Police, CP Bala Ciroma enjoins residents to remain calm, law-abiding and verify the information before circulating such information to avoid creating panic amongst members of the public,” the statement said.

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State had on Monday last week raised the alarm over the safety of Abuja.

Bello made the revelation in Minna when he visited 5,000 internally displaced persons from Shiroro and Munya local government areas at the IBB Primary School near the palace of the emir of Minna.

“I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger State, here in Kaure, I am confirming that they have hoisted their flags here.

“This is what I have been engaging the Federal Government on; unfortunately, it has now got to this level. If care is not taken, even Abuja is not safe.”

Bello claimed that the Boko Haram elements were trying to use some locations in Niger as their home just as they did in Sambisa.

He said, “Sambisa is several kilometres from Abuja but Kaure is just two hours’ drive from Abuja. So nobody is safe anymore, not even those in Abuja.”