Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for proactive action by law enforcement agencies to check frequent cases of ‘one-chance’ robberies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A one-chance robbery involves luring unsuspecting passengers into commercial vehicles whose occupants are robbers. The call followed an attack by some armed persons at Sunshine Homes Estate in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, during which a retired Brigadier General, Uwem Udokwere, was killed.
HURIWA enjoined law enforcement authorities to nip crimes in the bud before they occur, rather than chase criminal elements after irredeemable violence had been unleashed on residents.
National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, said security agencies in Abuja must work in synergy and implement measures to stop deadly crimes through intelligence.
He advocated life sentence for one-chance robbers and death sentence to those who cause the death of victims or throw the victims out of moving vehicles.
He added: “There is the need to build up formidable human intelligence, from which security operatives can tap actionable information and intelligence to nip crimes in the bud. Preventive law enforcement action will minimise the chances of these criminal elements succeeding in unleashing bloodshed in the FCT.”
“The FCT’s political authority should bring together the different layers of the security services in Abuja to set up joint patrols. There is also the need for the government to investigate contractors who were awarded the closed-circuit television network contract for the entire Abuja metropolis, and determine why the contractors didn’t execute the project.”
