The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has advised the chairmen of the six area councils in FCT to constitute a surveillance committee to curb insecurity.

Mr Wike gave the advice while responding to the challenges outlined by the councils’ chairmen during a familiarisation meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him, the surveillance committee will help check the insecurity and activities of illegal mining in communities.

Mr Wike said he would call for an emergency security meeting with the FCT Command of the State Security Service (SSS) director and the Commissioner of Police to look at the issue.

He called for the cooperation and support of the council chairmen, saying that “we cannot achieve anything without the support of the area council chairmen; it is not possible.”

The minister advised the chairmen of the prudent use of available resources while assuring them they would get whatever was due to them under his watch.

On land allocation, the minister explained that land allocation, by law, was under the purview of the FCT Administration.

On illegal mining, Mr Wike assured them he would discuss with the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, to eliminate the menace.

The chairman of Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya, had outlined inadequate funds, sanitation, public transportation, land allocation and insecurity, particularly kidnappings, as the major challenges affecting the area councils.

Mr Chiya disclosed that 19 persons were kidnapped in Bwari Area Council on Thursday and urged the minister to come to their aid.

On land allocation, the chairman said peoples’ backyards, graveyards, and churches were allocated to individuals.

The chairman of the Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya, urged Mr Wike to carry the council chairmen along in land allocation and development to enable them to monitor the allocated land development process.

His counterpart, chairman of Kuje Area Council, Abdullahi Sabo, had also lamented the menace of illegal miners in the area councils, stressing that they constituted a security threat.

Mr Sabo said a landslide in one of the mining sites took the lives of about 30 persons, adding that when invested, it was discovered that the miners do not have a mining licence.

(NAN)