Tom Zaneni and Attah Ede
The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said on Tuesday that it has designated no few than 17 areas in Nigeria’s capital as criminal black spots.
Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT command, who stated this in a statement on Tuesday, said the police identified the black spots during a series of strategic raids.
She listed the areas as Apo-Dutse Panteka; Diplomatic Zone; New PDP Secretariat; Kabusa Panteka; Ajakaita (Tungan-Maje); Abuja-Kaduna Road; Jabi Panteka; Apo-Waru Panteka; Area 1 (Monkey Village) and Durumi Village.
Others are Gwarimpa; Angwan Tivi; Mpape (Mashafa and Shishinpe villages), Durumi III (Burukutu Garden); Mabushi (Gishiri Village); Kubwa (by Pipeline and NEPA Road) and Maitama (under the Transcorp Bridge).
Adeh explained that the daily raids are critical to maintaining law and order, as well as ensuring a safer environment for residents in the FCT.
She added that during the daily raids in the listed areas, operatives arrested 348 suspects for various criminal activities.
The statement partly read, “As part of its unwavering efforts to combat criminal activities and protect public and private infrastructure within the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Police Command has carried out a series of strategic raids targeting identified black spots across the territory.
“Why Do Police Carry Out Daily Raids? These proactive operations are aimed at: Preventing Crime: Targeting criminal black-spots to deter and prevent crimes before they occur, ensuring a safer environment for residents. Protecting Infrastructure: Disrupting activities that lead to the theft and vandalism of public infrastructure such as manhole covers, streetlights, and power cables among others.
“The Command identified and raided the following criminal hideouts across the FCT:
Apo-Dutse Panteka; Diplomatic Zone; New PDP Secretariat; Kabusa Panteka; Ajakaita (Tungan-Maje); Abuja-Kaduna Road; Jabi Panteka; Apo-Waru Panteka; Area 1 (Monkey Village); Durumi Village; Gwarimpa; Angwan Tivi; Mpape (Mashafa and Shishinpe villages); Durumi III (Burukutu Garden);Mabushi (Gishiri Village); Kubwa (by Pipeline and NEPA Road) and Maitama (under the Transcorp Bridge).
“Massive Successes Achieved Through Daily Raids. The sustained efforts of the FCT Police Command have yielded remarkable results, including: 348 suspects arrested for various criminal activities and 320 suspects prosecuted and charged to court.”
Adeh also stated that the command recovered weapons, manholes, and streetlights among others which include:
“Seizure of 10 trucks loaded with vandalized metals, disrupting the market for stolen items; Recovery of 26 manhole covers and 20 solar/streetlight poles, ensuring the restoration of critical public infrastructure.
“Confiscation of large quantities of AEDC armoured cables, preventing further vandalism, Seizure of substantial quantities of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and assorted hard drugs, reducing drug-related crimes. Recovery of 11 firearms, eliminating dangerous weapons from circulation”, the FCT police command spokesperson added.
