Leadnaija
OLALEKAN OLABULO writes on the level of alertness of Nigeria’s most populous state and the possible target for bandits reportedly moving down South.
The heightened tension created by the reported plans by terrorists to invade the South West of Nigeria has put security operatives and residents in different parts of Lagos State on the red alert. Communities, findings showed, are devising different strategies, according to their peculiar needs and environments, to curb any likely infiltration of their areas by suspected bandits.
It was also discovered that residents are not taking anything for granted when it comes to security around their homes, especially when it has to do with motorcyclists who are suspected to be foreigners as well as unknown faces in their neighbourhoods.
In recent past, Lagos State narrowly escaped activities of suspected terrorists with the arrest of Boko Haram elements and recovery of suspected Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) in some parts of the state and border communities with Ogun State.
In one of such arrests, the Joint Civilian Task Force arrested six suspected Boko Haram members who escaped from Baga, Bama and Konduga in Borno State around Ijora Badia area of Lagos State, while the military also claimed to have acted on intelligence report to arrest some Boko Haram members in the state.
Extra Policing?
Events of the past few days have also pointed at the police in Lagos not taking anything for granted in the handling of the reported threat as well as ensuring the force is vigilant enough not to be caught off-guard by the criminal elements who may want to infiltrate the state. A few days ago, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Adegoke Fayoade, convened a security meeting. In attendance were commissioners of police, Lagos and Ogun States, as well as all strategic and tactical commanders.
A reliable source at the meeting told Saturday Tribune that “the AIG stressed the need for physical and covert policing to rid the zone of criminal elements while emphasising collaboration with sister agencies and partnership with members of the public. He also charged them to identify black spots and beef up security in their respective areas of jurisdiction.”
A few days after the AIG summoned the police leaders to his office, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Lagos, Olanrewaju Ishola, also summoned a security meeting which included all the Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) tactical commanders and unit heads on how to be proactive in policing the state.
Their Fates In Their Hands
Residents of Lagos State are also not leaving their personal and collective security in the face of the threat completely to security agencies and official assurances, considering that top government functionaries in the geo-political zone who have access to security and intelligence reports have been part of the alarm that the criminal elements are targettting states in the South West.
A member of the security committee in one of the communities in Obawole, Christopher Chukwuka, told Saturday Tribune that “A lot of things have changed as regards security in our area. No right-thinking person will hear such thing and go to sleep. We are not leaving any stone unturned to fortify security around our estate.”
He added, “Since the alarm started ringing that there are plans by bandits and terrorists to attack the South West, we have started erecting gates to limit access into our communities.
“There used to be scores of commercial motorcyclists, mostly foreigners, parking on the streets of our estate but that has stopped now. We have chased them away. The communities had a meeting and it was agreed that we should stop them from parking indiscriminately and sleeping along our roads. We also served out quit notices to kiosk owners who harbour them in our communities
“Landlords and residents who want to bring in people, especially those from foreign countries, are mandated to bring them for proper profiling and they must be ready to stand as guarantors for them.
“We don’t limit it to our area. We discovered that they were hibernating at a nearby makeshift market, the NLC Market. We reported to the government, they were dislodged and the place was pulled down.”Tap Here for the Full Story
