- Joint task force now to check disobedience to restriction laws on motorcycle usage, abuse of BRT dedicated lanes by men in uniform
- Warns against indiscriminate importation, storage of fireworks
As they get deeper into the Ember months, the Police in Lagos Wednesday urged residents to be more security conscious and report to security agencies people that are of questionable character or any strange objects that they are not familiar with in their neighbourhoods or places work.
C.P of Lagos State
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Umar Manko, made the call while fielding questions from newsmen after the weekly State Security Council meeting chaired by the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) at the Lagos House, Marina.
Manko also told the newsmen that the Security Council had decided to set up a joint taskforce of all the Security Services, to go after men in uniform who flout restriction laws on use of motorcycles and those of them who abuse the dedicated lanes meant for the use of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicles.
On the issue of security in the Ember months, the Commissioner, said crime and criminality have been brought to almost zero level in the State, explaining, however, “But other ones may be nursing the idea of coming here to commit crime and run back to their states. So we want every Lagosian, citizens and residents alike, to be more security conscious”.
“We are already in the Ember months and so we urge everybody to be more security conscious. We want every Lagosian to know who is his neighbour and to report to security agencies people that are of questionable character, people they suspect not to be part of their communities”, the Commissioner appealed.
Responding to a question on the possible resurgence of criminals using motorcycles to attack citizens, the Commissioner said such a negative backslide would never be allowed to happen adding, “Criminals now know that it is not a good business to come and commit crime here”.
Manko declared, “They will not come back because we will not allow them to come back. And we have put in place measures to ensure that they do not come back”. The Commissioner disclosed that three men who attempted to use commercial motorcycle to rob a bureau d’change in Apapa on Wednesdaydied in an encounter with security agencies in the exchange of fire adding, “That is the result of measures we put in place”.
“Of course, today (Wednesday) in Apapa those who attempted to use commercial motorcycle to rob a Bureau d’Change had themselves to blame. Three of them died in the encounter with security agencies in the exchange of fire and that is the result of measures put in place”, the Commissioner said.
Disclosing the plan by the Security agencies to set up a joint taskforce, the Commissioner declared, “We have observed that our men in uniform are the major deviants in compliance with the laws on restriction on riding commercial motorcycles on city roads and even disobeying the laws governing the BRTs. Therefore, we are going to have a joint taskforce that will go after our men who disobey both laws. So, very soon we will have a joint team of the Services to go after men in uniforms who decide to disobey these laws or follow the BRT lanes which is very illegal”.
Manko, who expressed dismay at the attitude of uniformed men to the laws, however, warned: “We are not very happy about that and that is why we are saying it clearly that we will go after (the men) ourselves and I think that is a warning to other people that would want to disobey these laws, that if we can go after our men they should be prepared for that too”.
Also responding to a question on importation and storage of fireworks during the festivities, the Commissioner said fireworks are items of restricted use adding that there are laws guiding the importations and usage of such items.
“The Council today agreed that anybody who wants to import these items into the country must follow the rules, must follow the laws because the security agencies will not allow what happened last year to come up again. Therefore, we are going to go after the importers of these items to ensure that they comply with the rules, with the laws, for both importation and usage”, he said.
On security at the beaches and waterfronts during the festivities, Manko , who noted that the essence of governance is protection of life and property, disclosed that the Council agreed that there would be provision of men from the Police Marine Services and from the Nigerian Navy where lifeguards and other people that are conversant with the security of the waterways would monitor to ensure safety of people who want to visit the areas during the Yuletide season..
“Well the essence of governance is protection of life and property. The Council has, therefore, decided and agreed that for this period of festivities and even before then there would be provision of men from the Police Marine Services and from the Nigerian Navy where lifeguards and other people that are conversant with the security of the waterways to ensure safety of people who want to have a feeling of the festivals in these areas”, he said.
Manko was accompanied at the briefing by his counterparts from the Air Force, Commander 435 Base Services Group, Ikeja, Air Commodore Sunday Wukangha, the Army, Commander 9 Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment, Brigadier Adeniyi Oyebade, the Navy, Commander NNS Beecroft, represented by his Base Operations Officer, Commander Sabo Lengaya and Director of State Security Service, Mr. Ben Olayi as well as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Major Tunde Panox (rtd).
