Wike To Buy Drones, Build Rapid Response Centre To Boost Security In FCT

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed plans to enhance security in the nation’s capital through the acquisition of drones.

Speaking on Friday when the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, paid a visit to the Minister in Abuja, Wike pledged support to combat insecurity, commending the relentless efforts of the Nigerian military in safeguarding the nation.

While acknowledging the role of security agencies, Wike assured the CDS of the FCT Administration’s support to bolster security measures and uphold Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

“Do not hesitate to tell us whatever support you need from the FCT,” he said, adding that the National Assembly had passed the 2024 FCT Statutory Budget and a provision was made in the budget for the procurement of drones for security agencies.

“The budget of FCT has been passed by the National Assembly. We have made provisions in the budget to buy drones to help security agencies in their efforts to reduce the level of crime in the whole of FCT.

“We are providing logistics to the security agencies and in the next few days, patrol vehicles and the communication gadgets for the security agencies will be ready.

“What we are also trying to do is to build an FCT Rapid Response Centre that will be managed by a joint team of the military, the police, Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,”Wike stated.

The minister expressed his condolences with families of 16 Nigerian soldiers recently killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in Delta State.

“We as FCT, we will support the Nigerian military in whichever way we can. Let’s see what we can do to reduce the pains of the families,” he said.

Earlier, the CDS lauded Wike for his transformative initiatives in the FCT and reiterated the Armed Forces’ commitment to supporting the administration’s security objectives.

Gen. Musa emphasized the military’s duty to protect citizens while respecting their rights.

Addressing prevalent security challenges such as ‘one chance’ robberies and kidnappings, Gen. Musa said “We are looking at how we can assist the police in responding to acts of criminality. What we are trying to do is to build a force that will be on standby 24/7, in case there’s anything happening, we can provide additional support to the police.”