The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has asserted that the crime rate in Abuja has significantly declined, despite recent reports of robberies and other security incidents within the city.
Wike made the statement during a media parley with journalists on Friday, while responding to questions about insecurity and the recent robbery that resulted in the death of Arise Television journalist, Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu.
“The rate of crime in Abuja has drastically reduced. That does not mean you cannot see any crime being committed. All over the world, every day you wake up, crime is being committed here and there, but that does not mean the security agencies are not tackling it,” the minister said.
He dismissed claims that insecurity in the FCT was worsening, insisting that such views were not supported by data or credible statistics.
“So when you talk about the spike, what is your statistics? Just because a colleague of yours, something happened yesterday and that means there’s been a spike? You have no statistics,” Wike told reporters.
While residents have previously raised concerns about rising crime on Abuja highways, Wike maintained that government interventions and security efforts had brought notable improvements.
He urged journalists to acknowledge the efforts of security agencies rather than portraying the city as unsafe based on isolated incidents.