Christmas, New Year celebrations: Minister assures Abuja residents of safety

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory have been assured of their safety during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The assurance was given by the FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, following the monthly FCT Security Committee meeting held on Tuesday.

Speaking after the last meeting of the year, Aliyu said the G7 (states contiguous to the FCT) were working in synergy to ensure a hitch-free celebration in the nation’s capital and across the zone.

Speaking in the same vein, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Babaji Sunday, said the FCT Police Command in collaboration with other security agencies, have intensified security operations such as the raiding of identified black spots, increased night patrols as well as stop and search operations.

These measures, he said, will ensure a hitch-free yuletide celebration. He also called for the cooperation of residents of the FCT, whom he urged to be security-conscious and give useful information to the security agencies.

The Commissioner said, “We should be security conscious and help others to be security conscious too. Know the places you go, the friends you keep and don’t walk about during late hours.

On the increasing number of COVID-19 cases especially as the celebrations commence, Dr Tijjani Aliyu urged residents to abide by all the non-pharmaceutical intervention measures as put in place by the NCDC, which includes hand washing facial coverings and physical distancing.

She also urged all business owners to make sure that their premises have hand sanitisers and other COVID-19 preventive items and also ensure the compliance of their customers and clients to extant measures or risk being shut down.

Also speaking, the Onah of Abaji Dr Adamu Baba Yunusa pledged the support of the traditional institutions to the security and health agencies in the maintenance of security and prevention of the spread of COVID-19 during the yuletide period.