Militants Attack: Ambode Threatens Lockdown of Affected Areas

As the clamp down continues on the atrocities of blood-thirsty militants that recently besieged some communities in Lagos and Ogun state, especially the riverine areas, Governor Ambode of Lagos State has come out to lend his voice to the unfolding drama. The treacherous hoodlums who usually leave trails of sorrow and sadness in their wake, might bitten more than they can chew

To forestall the return of vandals and suspected militants in its waterline, Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday, vowed to ‘shut down’ some locations where they seem to be hibernating. The governor, who made the declaration during a visit by Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Idris Kpotun Ibrahim, at Lagos House, Ikeja, warned that commercial or trading activities in such areas would be put on hold.

“Again, we need to ensure that these criminals do not go back to the creeks. On our part as a government, whatever it is that it takes to take the militants and vandals off Lagos we are going to do it.

“If it means shutting down some locations where they seem to be hibernating in terms of any commercial trade, we would do it and make sure  we guarantee the lives of our people and whatever it will take in terms of financial support for the security agencies to sustain the success we’ve had in the last few days, we would do it,” the governor said.

Governor Ambode also vowed that the state government would deploy its entire arsenal to ensure that militants and vandals threatening the peace of the state were flushed out once and for all. The governor said the recent military onslaught on the militants and vandals was yielding positive result, assuring that all efforts would be made to sustain the success recorded so far.

Only last week, a joint onslaught by the Nigeria Army, the Police and other security agencies was carried out in some communities within the boundary of Lagos and Ogun states against militants and oil thieves who had been causing civil disturbances in recent times.

Lauds Police and other Security Agencies

Speaking about the operation, Governor Ambode said:  “I want to also use this medium to commend the Nigeria Police and other security agencies on our fight against the militants and vandals that we have embarked on in this Operation Awathe in the last one week. “I want to commend all the security agencies for a job well done, I also want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for approving that operation.  I also commend the Chief of Defence Staff for also approving the joint effort. We are already seeing the results. I have just been briefed this morning about the impact of what has been done.”

While thanking the acting IGP for finding time to visit Lagos since his appointment, Governor Ambode appealed for more police presence in the state to secure the lives and property of the over 22 million people in the state. “I want to thank you for visiting Lagos. You’ve worked in Lagos before. The Lagos of then and the Lagos of now are totally different.  The population in Lagos is over 22 million and then the land space is not increasing, so the number of police officers that we have with regard to population is very meagre. “So as you recruit policemen, we appeal that more police officers be deployed to Lagos, we have space for them, we can build more police stations and we can equip them effectively,” he said. Governor Ambode specifically requested for more police patrol of the waterways, assuring that his administration would play its own part by ensuring the welfare of officers in the line of duty.

He said:  “We also want to say that we have reduced crime in Lagos by 70 per cent in the last six months, but again, some ugly points are coming up along our waterways. “We want to partner with you to keep our waterways safe, we need a greater presence of Marine Police across our waters and we also know that we can support them by providing gunboats, but again, we want to say that we would take proper care of  the welfare of police officers who are assigned to Lagos.”

Earlier, the IGP, who said he was in Lagos to visit some police formations in the state, commended the state government for its support and cooperation with the Police and other security agencies in recent time, saying the synergy between security agencies and Lagos State government was worth emulating. He also commended the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, saying  it was a model  other states of the federation could take a cue from.

“When I was Commissioner of Police in Kano State, we had to travel to Lagos to understudy the Security Trust Fund. So it has served as a model for other states in the federation,” the IGP said. He also promised that the Police would continue to deploy the best of its officers in the country to the state.

IGP vows to deploy gunboats to patrol creeks

Meanwhile, following the rising insecurity in Lagos State and its environs, the acting Inspector- General of Police vowed to tackle criminal activities with the entire arsenal at his disposal.

To  this end, he has directed that gunboats be deployed to riverine areas without delay to fight insecurity on the waterways. The gunboats, he said, would cover all riverine areas, creeks, waterways from Lagos to Delta and down to Cross River State. He charged Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, to toe his line by following directives.

According to him, “we can only partner Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, in tackling the problem of insecurity in the state, if the CP is ready to follow my directives to the letter.” Idris, who addressed stakeholders and policemen in Lagos, also said his administration was determined to tackle violent crimes such as kidnapping, menace of cattle herdsmen and insurgency.

He said the police management was partnering with other sister agencies to achieve the dream of reducing crime to the barest minimum, adding that the problem of insurgency and vandalism started from minor cultism in local communities. Ibrahim said he had directed the commissioners of police in all states of the federation to fight the problem of cultism to a stop. “I believe in policing at the community. Together, we can discuss and find common solutions to problems not just of security but also of safety, the protection of the elderly, the young and vulnerable in our society.

“I believe constant and regular interaction and dialogue with the people will lead to greater accountability, openness and transparency in the conduct of police activities. Therefore, my approach will involve constitution, cooperation and multi-agency collaboration.

“My approach, therefore, is aimed at giving reality to the historic proposition that the police are the community and the community are the police. We cannot afford to watch our children become victims of drug dealers, we must protect our children from every exploitation and this is not just the responsibility of the police but also every member of the society.

“In these days of social media and online platforms, you can reach the police via Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, SMS. “I have already directed all Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, to make available their phone numbers and those of their subordinates to members of the public. I urge you to work with the police to adopt a problem solving approach to local communal issues, partner the police in deciding local policing priorities and ensure respect for and protection of fundamental human rights.” The Police boss, who vowed to enthrone transparency during his tenure, also charged his men to be accountable and operate with integrity.

He urged them to stay away from land cases, adding that all policemen must declare their assets. “As the protectors of the law, you should not violate the law. The law said all public officers must declare their assets and since policemen are public officers, they must declare their assets.

“For this, we are going to re-activate the X-Squad so that we can go after corrupt policemen, local and state government employees. As a policeman, you must be contented. Stop misusing your power.”

OPC seeks govs’ support to fortify S-West

Meantime, the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, yesterday, urged state governors in the South West to empower its members to tackle security challenges in their respective states. An OPC leader in Ogun State, Chief  Adebayo Oyename, stated this at a meeting of the ethnic militia in Sagamu, where 50 members were also empowered with cheques of varying sums to boost their businesses. Oyename, who is the OPC Chairman in Sagamu Local Government  Area of the state, condemned the recent spate of militant attacks on some coastal communities in Lagos and Ogun states. He said the incursion of militants into Yorubaland, which has led to wanton loss of lives and property, would not have arisen if South West governors had adequately integrated OPC members into their   security arrangements. He, however, noted that the unfortunate development could have been nipped in the bud if government collaborated with OPC members  in ensuring homegrown security network.

Vanguard