Nothing, in recent memory, has inspired officers and men of the Lagos State Police Command than the visit of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, on June 8.
The visit birthed a regulatory template requiring officers to be emboldened in the face of threats from criminals.
These were some of the views of CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, spokesman of the Command on Wednesday when he played host to a team of the National Association of Online Security Reporters, NAOSRE, led by Dayo Bamgbala, the National Secretary.
Adejobi spoke against the backdrop in the slide towards mindless killings of officers as well as acquiescence destruction of Police facilities over the past months across Nigeria.
He reckoned that Lagos Command, being the largest in the country, has been badly hit by unwarranted attacks, a development that may have demoralized officers.
Specifically, Adejobi pointed out series of adversarial actions against the Police over the years but none so far as overt and far reaching as criminal hijack of Commands in other States, resulting into unnecessary loss of life and property.
He stated that the Inspector General’s visit has therefore, oxygenated enthusiasm followed by unassailable supports from governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the construct of Lagos Command in the Nigeria’s security architecture.
“I can tell you that the past few weeks have been assuring in terms of combat readiness against criminals in Lagos State and President Buhari’s promises of improved welfare for officers and men.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who is obviously living up to his billing as the Chief Security Officer of the state has encouraged the Command through the supply of combat equipment,” he stated.
Adejobi disclosed that the governor has donated 150 Double Cabin Vehicles; 30 Saloon Patrol Vehicles, 1000 Ballistic Vests; 1000) Ballistic Helmets; 1000 Handheld Police Radios/Walkie Talkies; 100 Security Patrol Bikes; two Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), four High Capacity Troop Carriers; two Anti-Riot Water Cannon Vehicles including furniture and other ancillary supports.
He emphasized that these are encouragement from government and a major step in the hunger for curtailing and erasing the footprints of criminals in the State.
The PPRO explained that the Command under the leadership of Commissioner Hakeem Odumosu is grinding criminals’ nose in the stone.
However, the unrestricted free movement in Nigeria which is already in the throes of multiple afflictions, has nonetheless being a spoiler.
He noted further that criminals from other States and neighbouring countries, because of free access, move into Lagos every time, a development that creates avalanche of criminals despite Odumosu’s daily crack down on bandits.
However, the fresh supply of fighting equipment by the governor, he stated, has numbered the days of criminals in Lagos.
He urged NAOSRE, as a credible association, to continue to offer unbiased security reportage in order to arrest the tragic misreading of the nature and natural disposition of Lagos Command in fighting criminals.
Earlier, Dayo Bamgbala who represented NAOSRE President, Oyewale Femi, stated that the association’s commitment to unbiased viewpoints, devoid of assumptions, remains unshaken.
He thanked the Command for its tireless efforts in combating crimes in the State and urged more deployment of intelligence gathering to compliment its strategies.
