Despite growing concerns about the state of security in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, the security director of the Federal Capital Territory, Adamu Buba Gwary, on Wednesday struggled on television to provide the emergency numbers of the city.
In what was an awkward moment, Gwary, who was representing the Minister of Federal Territory City Mohammed Bello, couldn’t give the dial-in number for Abuja residents to call in the event of an emergency.
He was on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to talk about the security situation in the city.
When asked by the presenter, Kingsley Osadolor, to supply the emergency numbers for Abuja, Gwary said “there are different numbers for different forums. But I don’t have them now. ”
Senate President Ahmed Lawan had expressed concern on Tuesday about the level of security challenges in the FCT, in a meeting that involved the National Security Adviser, the Director-General of Department of State Service and the Inspector General of Police who was represented by his assistant.
There has been a spate of kidnappings and banditry in the Abuja. On Monday, gunmen killed a resident pf Yebu community in Kwali area council in Abuja and abducted his two children.
Bala Ciroma, the FCT police commissioner, who was also on the show, tried to help out in the situation by stating the number was 112. But the director had earlier said Abuja call centre has its own emergency numbers.
The emergency numbers were however later supplied to the security director off camera and he was allowed to read them out on camera.
He gave out the numbers as 08099936312, 08099936313, 08099936314, 070806315100. The fourth number, however, is more than the standard 11 digits.
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