The Civilian Joint Task Force has called on the Federal Government to reinvigorate the Nigerian Mobile Police Force to contain the recurring security challenges in the country.

The National Chairman of CJTF, Prof. Kailani Muhammad, gave the advice on Saturday at the inauguration of the CJTF Operational Head Office in Abuja.

Mr Muhammad, who described the Nigerian mobile police as gallant officers, said they did well in the 1960s, urging that they should be adequately and equipped to contain the emerging security challenges.

He said, “Mobile police can do it, they did it in the 1960s, I don’t know why they have been relegated, let the Federal Government do something quickly.”

The CJTF chairman condemned the robbery and kidnap incident that happened in Abuja road in the early hours of Saturday, saying that CJTF was still sober and nervous about the incident.

Mr Muhammad said, “What happened on Abuja road, we are still regretting it. We are still sober and nervous. We will like the security agencies to step up their security operations. We learnt that between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday at Abuja road between Khatri and Akinbo, bandits came in hundreds, burning many trailers and carting away personal effects and even abducted some people.

“We learnt that the military came with about 20 vehicles and they could not contain these people. So, we are calling on the Federal Government to give the police mobile a chance, they are very gallant.”

He said that soldiers should return to barracks to protect the nation’s territorial integrity at sea, land and air.

Mr Muhammad added, “If the mobile police had confronted those bandits, they would not have moved with those they abducted. They would have done their best because they were trained to contain such incidents.

“We regret what happened and we want these people to be fished out as soon as possible. This is becoming too much, it happened in Lagos, Rivers and other parts of the country. It is now a daily occurrence that people are thinking whether they will leave Nigeria to the neighbouring countries because nobody is safe.

“I heard this morning on radio that between Warri and Otakpe, some criminals have removed the rail tracks. They did that deliberately to abduct people the way they did on the Kaduna – Abuja rail line.”

In his remarks, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Benedict Igwe, urged Nigerians to see security as a collective responsibility.

Mr Igwe, represented by ACP Zanna Madugu, congratulated the CJTF for inaugurating its operational head office in Abuja.

He urged its officers to always work in synergy with the police by making sure that the nearest police station was aware of their existence, especially where they guard.

He said, “Security is everybody’s business. It is a collective responsibility of every citizen of the country. This is not the first time I’m meeting a civilian JTF, we are always working together in order to keep Abuja safe.

“Whenever we have anything to do at the command we always invite the civilian JTF to come and participate with us and we are very grateful and we want them to continue. Apart from helping us to make sure that Abuja is safe, we have to sensitise them to some issues. For example, estates and other places where civilian JTF are posted to guard, we always advise them to notify the nearest police station of their existence.”

(NAN)