By Caleb Onwe
Abuja (Precise Post) – Residents of Pegi community for hours yesterday blocked the main entrance gate of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Muhammad Bello, demanding urgent rescue of those who were abducted by gunmen.
The angry protesters said that insecurity in the area had worsened and that residents lived in fear on a daily basis.
They also alleged that government has remained insensitive to their plight despite several distress calls they made in time past.
Precise Post recalls that on Monday, gunmen, clad in military camouflage, stormed the community and abducted nine people. Among the victims is a 12-year-old boy.
One of the leaders of the protesters, Taiwo Aderibigbe, who is also the Chairman, Pegi Community Development Association (PECDA), said abductions had become too frequent that nobody in the community had any sense of security anymore.
Aderibigbe called on government to construct the access roads leading to the community, as lack of motorable roads was aiding the activities of criminals in the area.
But the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, pleaded with the protesters to calm down and give the administration the chance to address the security challenges in the area.
Aliyu disclosed that the administration had started the construction of the roads in the community, but had some hitches after the contractors abandoned the project.
The minister also noted that the contract had been revoked and the administration was in the process of re-awarding it to a more competent construction firm that would do a better job on the road, within a short time.
She said: “I want to assure you that the road leading to Pegi community is already receiving attention. The contractor abandoned that road and as I speak with you, we have already revoked the contract for that road and it is to be assigned to a competent contractor that will construct a very good road for the community.
