‘One chance’ menace: Abuja residents call for adequate security

Some Abuja residents have called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to provide adequate security to address increasing rate of ‘one chance’ and other criminal activities in the city.

The residents in separate interviews with our reporter on Monday decried the surge in the rate of insecurity in the capital city.

According to them, one chance and other criminal activities are now a common trend these days in the FCT even as taxi drivers allegedly collaborate with criminals.

They said that criminality was turning life into a nightmare for residents and visitors who inadvertently keep to late nights around Abuja

The residents attributed the menace surge in the heart of Abuja to the influx of people in the face of banditry in neighbouring Nasarawa, Niger, and Kaduna States.

“The surge in the rate of kidnapping and one chance experienced by taxi users in the FCT are becoming alarming; hence, the need for government at all levels to provide adequate security,” they said.

Speaking, a resident who preferred anonymity said these syndicates operated with cunning tactics, often disguising themselves as legitimate taxi drivers before carrying out their criminal activities.

“One Chance” thieves are armed with weapons, ranging from daggers, some of which may be laced with poisonous substances, to hammers, guns, and even hypnotising sprays.

“The more sophisticated among them even carry point-of-sale (POS) machines for quick monetary transactions during their criminal activities,” the resident said.

Mr Nnamdi Ebenezer, a business man, described the high rate of criminal activities in the FCT as alarming.

Ebenezer said lack of proactivity on the part of the police, and poor design of the touted community policing was responsible for the inability to curtail criminality in Nigeria’s capital city.

He called on security agencies to heighten efforts in tackling the menace of kidnappings and one chance challenge in the territory.

While attributing the high crime rate to joblessness and high cost of living in the country, he called on the government to intensify efforts to bring succor to the people

In same vein, Chioma Agbo, a victim of one chance advised taxi users to be vigilant and avoid engaging in unnecessary conversations when they in taxi.

Agbo, who said she fell victim of one chance in one of her outings and lost valuable items, including money urged residents to always check the front and back plate number of a vehicle.

She said being vigilant and observing occupants as well as listening to your instinct of the vehicle before entering may keep one safe may be of help.

“Stop pressing your phones in the vehicle so that your eyes can be on the road.

“When they start making conversations on money, politics, religion please do not engage in it. This is how they lure people into their cage,” she said.

Agbo also advised residents to avoid staying by the roadside to take cabs, urging them to go to registered parks to take vehicles for their safety.

Also Mrs Hannah Aboi, a trader, cautioned against night crawling and unnecessary outings that may warrant people to leave for their destinations late in the evening or night.

She said that it was only logical for people who reside outside the city centres to leave early because of the current situations.

“If you work in the city centre, try to close and get to the bus stop on time so that you can avoid all the hassle.

“The times are different; people are desperate for evil and want fast money that someone else has suffered to get.

“We should be watchful and not be in total oblivion, not everyone we meet on the road has a pure heart, but most importantly, pray always because we need divine intervention,” she said.