...lack of a consolidated database hampers investigations – security expert
The nation’s capital, Abuja, has recently become a hotbed of insecurity, with residents sounding the alarm and expressing frustration over the failure of security forces to safeguard the city.
This surge in violent crime has sent shockwaves of fear through the FCT, according to Persecondnews.
The escalating crisis is highlighted by recent tragedies – on September 29, an armed robbery in Katampe Extension, Mabushi, resulted in the deaths of Somtochukwu Maduagwu (an Arise News employee) and Barnabas Danlami (a security guard).
Days later, on October 3, Abuja veterinary doctor Ifeanyi Ogbu was murdered and his three children were abducted.
Persecondnews reports that on the heels of upsurge of crimes and killings, the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun redeployed FCT Police Commissioner Ajao S. Adewale.
He handed over to the new commissioner, Miller Dantawaye, on October 17, 2025.
Adewale officially took over the leadership of the Command from AIG Olatunji Disu on March 26, 2025, after serving for about 7 months before being redeployed.
Respondents who spoke exclusively to Persecondnews were divided as some blamed a flawed FCT security architecture in need of a thorough overhaul, while others emphasized that security is everyone’s business.
The respondents include security experts, Dr. Bone Chinye Efoziem and Dr. Frank Tietie, political analyst Mr. Stanley Job Stanley, a senior security personnel, and Abuja residents – Mr. Titus Ibiam and Mrs. Vera Fibresima.
Dr. Efoziem believes the insecurity in the FCT stems from the instability of its bordering states, naming Niger, Kaduna, Kogi, and Nasarawa.
He pointed out that the difficult terrain separating the FCT and Niger State, specifically, acts as a sanctuary for criminals.
“The rocky and bushy terrain allows them to operate from Niger, hiding behind rocks and in bushes. They launch attacks and then disappear back into the terrain.”
Efoziem said the FCT should create a buffer zone along its borders with neighboring states, which could involve establishing strategic outposts for mobile police or special units like the IRT to monitor and respond to security threats.
The security expert said: “To enhance security, special crime-fighting units should be stationed in border towns, which are currently vulnerable. The current reactive approach to security is a challenge not only for the FCT but also for Nigeria as a whole.
“Instead, the FCT command and neighboring state security agencies should share intelligence to enable proactive measures. For instance, the Nigerian Police and DSS in the FCT should collaborate more closely in sharing intelligence.
“Additionally, the civil defence corps can supplement their efforts in areas that are difficult to cover. By working together and leveraging intelligence, they can prevent incidents rather than just responding to them.
“I can confidently say that many of the border areas between the FCT and neighboring states, such as Niger and Kaduna, are not adequately secured.
“I recall visiting a rural area, Lube, to inspect a piece of land, and I was shocked to see cattle rearers setting up camps, they even harassed us, and it was clear that there was no security presence.
“The question is, how can the security architecture be improved to cover these poorly manned areas? While it’s not feasible to establish police stations or DSS camps everywhere, there should be ways to establish a presence that would deter criminal activity and make it harder for perpetrators to escape.”
Dr. Frank Tietie, an Abuja-based lawyer and Executive Director of CASER, told Persecondnews that the FCT Minister has been “too politically distracted” to address the rising insecurity in the nation’s capital.
Tietie criticized Minister Nyesom Wike, claiming the Minister focuses more on his power struggles in Rivers State.
Furthermore, Tietie suggested that the Minister’s tendency to constantly discuss and justify his actions prevents him from garnering necessary public support.
He lamented that it now appears criminals nationwide view Abuja as a safe haven and are relocating to make it their headquarters.
He said: “It is as if they are trying to make Abuja the capital of criminality, just as it is the capital of the country. That is why you are seeing shantytowns sprouting up across the Federal Capital Territory in record numbers, and closer to the city centre than ever.
“These shanties are inhabited by criminals who live, breed, plan, and execute their operations.
“Under bridges in Area 11, in the city centre, around the Federal Secretariat, you will find criminals living permanently, day and night. These individuals are homeless and survive by mugging citizens who walk at night.
“We are also seeing a rise in one chance cases, which involve using unmarked taxis for kidnapping. Kidnapping has been on the increase, but what’s more worrisome is the recent surge in armed banditry and armed robberies.
“It is appalling that within a single week, Somtochukwu Maduagwu from Arise News was killed in an armed robbery attack, and now, a veterinary doctor has been kidnapped along with his children, only to be found dead later.”
Tietie said the assurances of security for vulnerable citizens are lacking because the law enforcement response, particularly from the police, is not only slow but almost non-existent.
“They tend to be reactive, waiting for crimes to occur before pursuing the culprits, often to no avail,” he said.
Apart from the rise in insecurity, Mr. Tietie noted that the capital city also grapples with issues of proper waste disposal and flooding during the rainy season.
“Some parts of the FCT are not only foul-smelling but also littered with refuse dumps that are springing up in unusual corners.
“The refuse collection system is very poor. That is why you find mountains of refuse in places like Area 11, Gwarimpa, Area 1, Durumi, and others. It seems as if the government is no longer interested in refuse collection,” he said.
Dismissing claims of political sabotage as unacceptable, Dr. Tietie stressed that the FCT Minister has the state’s resources, equipment, and legal authority to curb insecurity immediately.
He urged the Minister to foster greater cooperation through town hall meetings, arguing that direct citizen engagement would make development efforts in the FCT more realistic.
Also, political analyst and former Chairman of Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Stanley Job Stanley, expressed deep concern that serious crimes are hitting the FCT, a place that, as the seat of power, should be the nation’s safest location.
He said: “Abuja, once a bastion of peace where one could venture out at any time of day, is now experiencing a high crime rate. The authorities need to buckle up and ensure the safety of citizens.
“Whatever image foreigners perceive in the FCT will shape their view of Nigeria as a whole. If they see security in Abuja, they will naturally assume there is security in Nigeria.”
To tackle insecurity, Job Stanley recommended that authorities take strong action against scrap metal collectors (“Baba bola”).
He stated that these individuals should face heavy enforcement of the existing ban, as they are allegedly complicit in crime by providing intelligence to criminals.
“Those scrap metal collectors often loiter around porous estates in Abuja, pretending to collect scrap metal while gathering information to facilitate robbery or kidnapping.
“The police should arrest anyone found sleeping under bridges in Abuja, as they are often the same individuals committing crimes at night.
“The bushy area opposite the National Secretariat needs to be cleared and developed to eliminate hiding spots for criminals.
“The police should provide direct phone numbers to estate security personnel, enabling them to alert authorities promptly in case of armed robbery or kidnapping incidents.”
A security official, speaking anonymously, stated that Nigeria’s security architecture is compromised—even in the FCT—due to the public’s failure to cooperate.
He added that FCT estates should ideally feature a central situation room where installed cameras allow for real-time monitoring of all activity and movement.
The security officer explained that having a robust monitoring system would allow personnel to “spot criminals attempting to scale fences or break doors and promptly alert security.”
He also advised that estates install solar lights. He noted that “some criminals thrive in darkness,” but if “everywhere is well-lit and their movements can be easily monitored, they will not venture.”
He added that modern CCTV cameras often include solar-powered lighting.
On investigative difficulties, the officer highlighted how the country’s lack of a consolidated database constantly hinders speedy forensic examinations.
While security personnel collect samples of criminals’ fingerprints from surfaces like door handles and walls, he stressed that a single thumbprint would be enough to trace criminals if such a national database existed.
He said: “Even if the police conducted forensic analysis to get a thumbprint, do we have a consolidated database? The National Incident Management System (NIMS) has its own, and we have the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and others.
“In Western countries, they have a single database that contains the identity of every citizen.
“When security personnel have to move from one database to another in search of a criminal’s information, the more time passes, and the trail of criminals grows cold.
“That is why I stress the importance of technology; without it, you cannot build a robust intelligence structure within the security architecture.
“Even members of the public often refuse to provide information that would aid investigations, preferring to view security personnel as adversaries rather than allies, which significantly hampers security efforts.”
Mr. Titus Ibiam, an Abuja resident of Orozo, labeled the recent public outcry over FCT insecurity as hypocritical.
He told Persecondnews that crime has long plagued the outskirts of the FCT, but it has consistently failed to receive adequate media coverage.
He said: “There are numerous security incidents that occur in Maraba, Nyanya, Karu, Masaka, Kuje, Abaji, and other areas like Kambusa, yet they often go unreported.
“The reason why it has reached this crescendo, with people crying out everywhere, is that it’s now happening in the city centre. So it’s not really a new phenomenon.”
Ibiam advised the security personnel to fight insecurity in Abuja outskirt towns, saying that only then can the city centre be secured.
Another Abuja resident, Mrs. Vera Fibresima, lamented the FCT Administration’s lack of consistency in clearing shanties, pointing out that structures demolished when the Minister took office are already starting to reappear.
“When the Minister took over and ordered the clearing of all the shanties in Abuja, we enjoyed relative peace,” she said.
“Now, they are springing up again, and insecurity is springing up with it.”
Fibresima advised the FCTA not just to revisit and re-demolish the areas, but also to arrest the criminal elements using the shanties as hideouts.
Leave a comment