TheCable

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has announced a N20 million bounty on two suspected criminals terrorising residents of the nation’s capital.

Wike announced the bounty in Abuja on Wednesday during a visit to the FCT police command where 15 suspected kidnappers and one-chance armed robbers were paraded.

The bounty was in response to the police commissioner’s remarks that two other criminals were on the run.

“You said there are two suspected criminals on the run? Let me put money on their heads. Wherever they are, send your men out there, I will give them N20 million,” NAN quoted the minister as saying.

“Go and fish them out, wherever they are. I want to see them dead or alive.”

The minister commended the FCT police commissioner and his men for the arrests saying, “the difference is clear”.

He assured the command that the FCT administration would provide the police with the needed equipment to fight crimes in the territory.

“Let me assure the residents of FCT that with the support of President Bola Tinubu, we are fully prepared to take the war to the criminals,” he said.

“I trust the police, and our confidence in them is getting stronger.”

Wike said information is key to winning the war against crime and urged residents and the police to do more on intelligence gathering.

Earlier, Benneth Igweh, the FCT commissioner of police, said 23 suspects have been arrested in the last two days.

“Acting on credible intelligence, the suspects who are responsible for several `one chance’ activities in the past, were trailed to the central area in an attempt to rob some innocent residents and were arrested,” he said.

“The suspects confessed to using toy guns and knives to scare their victims to illegally obtain from them.”

He added that police officers from Utako division along with the anti-kidnapping unit of the command on February 13, arrested seven suspected kidnappers in Pyakasa, Tudun Wada and Ketti villages.

“They are responsible for the kidnapping of five victims in federal mortgage housing estate, Kabusa, three people at Ketti village, and Fulani resident of Alhaji Sani.

“They are also responsible for the kidnap of a woman and her security guard in Kabusa Estate, one Mr Sunday Zakwai and four others, and equally killed the District Head of the area.

“The criminals also kidnapped two staff at Defence Estate Kabusa.”