As the date for the proposed protest against economic hardship by unnamed groups approaches, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Benneth Igweh, has urged Abuja residents not to participate to prevent the destruction of newly established infrastructure by the FCT administration and President Bola Tinubu.
Additionally, the CP presented the mastermind behind the armed robbery that resulted in the death of retired Brigadier General Uwen Harold Udokwerre in Abuja on June 22, 2024. Speaking about the proposed strike, Igweh said, “Lions do not destroy their den. We have worked hard to ensure and provide security for the FCT. In doing so, we have gone to Kaduna, Kogi, and Nasarawa to capture criminals who disrupted the peace of Abuja. During this process, we have lost officers. Last week, we lost two officers, and the previous week, we lost one officer. We don’t want to lose any more. So please, don’t allow the destruction of what the minister and Mr. President are doing. We have seen changes in roads and infrastructure in the FCT. I am pleading with residents, do not join this protest. We don’t want miscreants from outside the FCT to come and start destroying them. We will go back to where we were before. I plead with you, do not join this protest. Let us continue collectively to make FCT safe. Let them protest elsewhere, but not here. Act maturely and appreciate our efforts. If you do, we will be very happy and continue to provide security for you.”
On the arrest of the mastermind, CP Igweh said, “Last time, I showed you the four killers, kidnappers, and robbers who killed Brigadier General Uwem Harold Udokwerre. Today, I will show you the organizer of the killing and robbery. We have recovered the general’s gun, his wristwatch, and his wife’s jewelry, which were stolen. The organizer, Alhaji Ashiru, has been arrested. He was previously imprisoned but escaped during a jailbreak. Instead of repenting, he continued his crimes. We arrested him in Kano while he was trying to leave the country. He rented a hotel near the general’s estate to coordinate the robbery. We recovered drugs from his residence.”
The CP also paraded another armed robbery and kidnapping group, including Ibrahim Yakubu, Ugumonde Joseph, and Moktab Lahi, who had been terrorizing Abuja and its surroundings. “They came to FCT to rob, using a red vehicle. We had intelligence on their plan and barricaded them on their way to rob. We recovered two English-made pistols and ammunition from them.”
He also displayed a truck loaded with stolen materials, saying, “This vehicle was used by criminals to remove cables and wires from government institutions. We received information about the stolen wires and arrested those involved. Inside the vehicle, there are various stolen properties. We have arrested them and other vehicles used in Kabusa and Panteka.”