Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday
stated that he is committed to make Lagos the safest State in Africa and also
advice the security agencies to step up the game to be ahead of Criminals and
outsmart hoodlums especially during the yuletide season
Ambode
during the 12th Town Hall meeting on
security with the stakeholders, he commended the effort of hall the security
agencies in the state for their support and effort to make the state habitable
for Lagosians. He urges them the to
outsmart hoodlums especially during the Christmas and new-year celebration also
during the election period in 2019.
He
said in the last few years, a lot of investment had been made in securing the
State which had paid off, but that more investments needed to be made to
further enhance the security architecture of the State.
According
to him, “Has our investment paid off, I would say yes it has. Have we really
invested enough in terms of security, the answer is no and the truth is it can
never be enough and so it is not a matter of we are getting there but it is an
everyday thing.
“As
long as we want to go out in the night, as long as we want to enjoy Christmas
and have night out, these other good guys (men of the underworld) are thinking
about us and so we have to be two steps ahead of them all the time in terms of
strategy and reforms we need to make.
“So,
obviously we need to think about how to outsmart them and believe me this is
their season and so we need to smart up and be vigilant and that is the message
because they are not going to relent and again, election is coming and they can
be easy tools; so we need to outsmart them,” Governor Ambode said.
He
said it was gratifying that the huge investment in security had positively
reflected in the State, but that more investment would have to be made especially
in the area of technology, just as he assured that his administration would
continue to do that, while also expressing optimism in the ability of the
Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State, Mr
Babajide Sanwo-Olu to sustain the policy.
“Our
return on investment has been very good to the point that Lagos is right now
the safest city in Africa, and then the collaboration of the LSSTF with the
private sector has been wonderful but again we need to increase investment in
technology and also communication kits.
“I
reiterate that we will continue to support security agencies and I also believe
strongly this is one of the programmes that I met and I believe strongly that
Mr Sanwo-Olu will continue in this same direction,” Governor Ambode said.
Responding
to issues raised by participants at the meeting especially on the increase in
number of beggars on the road with attendant security risk, the Governor said
government was already perfecting plans to set up a Special Task Force consisting
of plain cloth personnel to prevent security breach.
“Lagos
is a victim of its own success. Many people are coming to Lagos in droves and
this is November/December meaning that more people are coming into Lagos but we
are having the same capacity that was used to manage twelve million people and
now using same to manage twenty-three million people and so, obviously do we
stop being successful, the answer is no but we need to now stretch ourselves to
be able to manage our success and also create more facilities to be able to do
that.
“What
we are trying to do is to set up a Task Force for this December/January and the
campaign period to see how we can use plain cloth people to mix with police
officers and the LASTMA (Lagos State Traffic Management Authority) officials
without people realizing that they are there to mitigate some of these things,”
he said.
He
added that the government would also explore collaboration between the police
and the judiciary to expeditiously deal with the menace posed by area boys and
hoodlums, saying such was necessary in the larger interest of the State, while
also directing the Neighbourhood Safety Corps to extend their activities deep
into the communities across the State to deepen security.
While
appreciating donors who have contributed to the security architecture of the
State, the Governor said it was important for more emphasis to be placed on
enforcement, adding that the people must also endeavor to give out information
to security agencies promptly.
“I
want to say a big thank you to all those who have made Lagos very peaceful. The
most important part of this assignment is to make sure that Lagos continues to
be safe. Making Lagos safe technically means we are growing the GDP of Lagos
because once the city is safe, we can increase production, more people would
pay their taxes and then we can use the money to improve on infrastructure; and
then the city grows and people live a more comfortable life
“We
must continue to lay emphasis on enforcement and we continue to make sure that
the things that we are doing are correct. I can promise the people that with
everything that we have, we would make sure that we have a very good end of the
year and ensure that Lagos remains very peaceful.
“Security
is a collective responsibility and we must all contribute for the safety and
security of lives and property. Everybody must be vigilant and report strange
things around us promptly. That is the only way we can continue to secure the
State,” the Governor said, just as he advocated reform in the funding model for
security to bring about sustainable framework.
In
his presentation, the State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal
commended Governor Ambode for his massive investment and commitment to security
of lives and property, saying the achievements recorded by the Command were
largely due to the support of the State Government.
He
said in tackling the security threats from the creeks, it was instructive to
note that the Governor recently approved the procurement of six additional
gunboats to effectively police the waterways, among other interventions by the
State Government.
On
crime statistics in the State from November 2017 to September 2018, the CP said
233 robbery incidents were foiled by the police in the last one year, while 701
arms and ammunitions were recovered, with nine kidnappers and 669 cultists
arrested in various parts of the State.
He
said 290 armed robbers were arrested with 15 dead during encounter with the
police, while a total of 186 murder cases and 43 suicide/attempted suicide
cases were recorded.
However,
the CP said one police officer was lost during the period under review.
