This is how to end militancy, security problems in Lagos, according to this lawmaker
– Cases of militant attacks, kidnapping and armed robbery have been on the increase in Lagos state in recent times and these are putting the government to task
– Mufutau Egberonbge, a former lawmaker, is asking the government to take a critical look at the recently passed Neighbourhood Watch bill and assent to it
– He argues that police officers in the state are overwhelmed because they hardly understand the terrain and hideouts for criminal elements in the state
Former member of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Mufutau Egberongbe, has warned that militant activities well as criminalities would continue in Lagos state if nothing urgent is done by the state government to enhance security.
Egberongbe, who is the special adviser on legislative and political matters to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa of the state House of Assembly, said the governor must urgently assent to the law that strengthens Neighbourhood Watch.
Speaker Mudashiru Obasa of the Lagos state House of Assembly sponsored the bill
The law, sponsored by Obasa, was passed weeks ago and sent to Governor Ambode for his assent.
However, nothing has been heard since then.
“The law, when fully in force, will tackle the criminal activities in the state. You can see the way kidnapping and militant activities are becoming causes for headaches for those in government today.
“I am sure that even the police in the state is overwhelmed by the daily incidents.
“My argument has always been that it is not easy for a policeman from Zamfara state, for example, to know all the hidden places where criminality thrives in Lagos state.
“Moreover, it is known that policemen are always posted in and out of the state making it difficult to effectively tackle crime,” he said adding that these were parts of the reasons why the speaker sponsored the bill that was later passed.
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Neighbourhood Watch, as stipulated by the bill, is made of residents of the particular areas of the state, who would monitor criminal activities in their areas and report same to law enforcement agents.
They can also make arrests in cases where the situation warrants and are to be catered for through the state’s Security Trust Fund (STF), through which the government procures arms and other equipment for security agents operating in the state.
Recall that during the town hall meeting on the bill, Obasa told stakeholders: “This bill is aimed at giving further legal backing to community policing in the state.
“It is meant to further cement and legalise participation of the people especially at the grassroots in policing their various communities.
“We will all agree that the issue of security of lives and properties has been a major cause for concern in recent times.
“The Boko Haram insurgency, the Niger Delta militancy, kidnapping, armed robbery and the recent upsurge in cases of killings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen are several security breaches that have given Nigerians cause for concern.
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“It should be noted here that providing adequate security of lives and properties of the citizens has been one of the major programmes of the APC governments both at the federal and state levels and today, we are all living witnesses to strides being achieved by the APC government at the state and federal levels.
“In Lagos, the resolve and determination of the Akinwunmi Ambode administration to wipe out violent crimes from the state has led to the establishment of the state Security Trust Fund and the purchase of sophisticated gadgets and vehicles for various security agencies in the state.”
The need to commence implementation of the law further came to the fore recently with an increase in the spate of kidnappings, pipeline vandalisations and armed robbery in the state.
The speaker, during that period which also culminated in the Eid el-Fitr festival, cautioned residents in the state on security consciousness
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