The cosmopolitan nature of Lagos state is fast becoming its bane,
given its economic buoyancy in the face of hardship in Nigeria; the state
attracts people from diverse background, business, religion and culture. In the
light of these, its security status has become a source of worry. Few months into his administration, Governor
Akinwunmi Ambode equipped the state security agencies with security equipment
and gadgets such as Helicopters to carry out Air surveillance, Speed boats to
secure the waterways, motorcycles and cars, trucks, armoured tanks,
walkie-talkie and more to monitor the roads and localities . These came as a
form of respite to the residents of Lagos who prior to that time had been under
siege of asort in the hands of men of the underworld. It would be recalled that
in the early months Governor Ambode took over the mantle of leadership of the
state, the security apparatus of state went to sleep for reasons yet unknown.
There were reported cases of armed robbery attacks in every nook and crannies
of the state, it was so disturbing that Lagos residents could hardly sleep with
their two eyes closed. In those months, the roads were a nightmare to motorists
and pedestrians alike. Though with good intention, the newly sworn-in governor
had made a pronouncement that officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management
Agency LATSMA should not make direct arrest of erring traffic offenders, the
order was like rubbing salt on open wound, as the traffic situation across the
state went from bad to worse, itbecame chaotic, giving room for hoodlums to
carry out theirnefarious activities in the congested traffic. It took
consistent public outcry for the seemingly overwhelmedGovernor Ambode to act.
And when he did, it took the state about a month or two to resolve the anomaly.
Today, the traffic gridlock and issue of robbery in the state may have reduced,
however, there are some other issues of security concern that the state needed
to address as a matter of urgency before it becomes uncontrollable. First and most worrisome is the influx of
strange individuals into the state, these groups of people according to
findings, are Nigerians. They look more like our Hausa brothers, they speak
Hausa language but not as original as our brothers up in the North. Given the
economic hardship in their country, (Niger),
these individuals find their ways through Nigeria’s porous borders in
the North. They infiltrate the midst of the real Hausas, gather intelligence as
to where they can be gainfully engaged, hence the choice of Lagos, the economic
nerve of Nigeria. The population of these strangers in question is so
pronounced that, in every 10 Okada riders in Lagos; seven are found to be
Nigerians who impersonate the Hausas. They are in every locality across Lagos
State plying all manner of trades; Okada rider, Water vendor, Cobbler, Waste
disposal vendor, artisans at construction sites et al. These people are known to be religious extremist and crises
prone, given their history and
background. Evidence in this, is the fact that; they do not live in isolation,
wherever you find them, they are always in a group of between twenty and thirty
occupying a space that ordinarily would contain about five individuals. And in
the event of an argument or fight with one of them, within a split seconds;
they will arrive in their numbers and wreak havoc in that environment to
register their presence. There have been many reported and unreported cases of
robberies in the state, especially in the suburbs, where lives and properties
had been lost to hoodlums who feign Hausas. Investigation shows that most of
these strangers are not gainfully employed. Some are found loitering on streets
and major roads, while those that are employed could hardly afford a three
square meal , for instance, in the case of those of them riding commercial
motorcycles, it was discovered that there are about 10 persons attached to one
motorcycle, such that, hours of operation is divided among them, same is
applicable to the water vendors in the streets. Leaving many of them idle most
time of the day. Findings from residence of Agiliti area, where the recent crisis at the Mile12 market
occurred revealed that the perpetrators of the crisis were Nigeriens. Imagine
the amount of properties that was lost in the crisis within that short period.
Let’s now visualise the level of destruction it would have had on the state had
it escalated beyond the Mile 12 area.
The Hausa communities across the state and even the country at large
have on several occasions came out to dissociate themselves from the various
ethnic clashes across the state and country- A pointer to the fact that
government must act swiftly and not wait till the situation has gone out of
hand. Another issue of concern is the
case of abandoned vehicles in areas such as Mechanic garages, Motor parks and
streets. This act potends a grave danger especially in the face of the
dislodgement of Boko Haram strongholds up North. From where my office is
situated around Ojodu area of Lagos state, it is a common site to see
inter-state articulated vehicles meant to convey cattles to the abattoirs in
the state, also transporting a significant number of tattered looking young men
alongside the cows. They sit on planks put across the two ends of the vehicle
carrier. At this point, you might be wondering what the job specification of
the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) is,
in thatregard? don’t worry too far, the drivers and syndicates of this
operation know fully well that the officers of the FRSC go off the roads by 7pm,
which in itself is a misnomer, hence, they carry out their nefarious
acts as it were at nights. In a situation like this; where there is a breach of
security, is it not possible for some members of the dislodged sect to
infiltrate the unchecked influx, settle in in their destination and on the
order of their leaders carry out attacks on the unsuspecting citizens of Lagos?
As paranoid as it may seem or sound to some of us, I get so much disturbed when
I see refuse bags, dumped along road medians across the
metropolis.it gets me apprehensive, especially now that Improvised Explosive
Device IEDs are commonly used by the sects to wreak havoc on innocent citizens.
Now let’s envisage that an IED was planted in one of those refuse during
traffic hours, what would be the rate of casualties? It can only be better
imagined. I therefore call on the state government wake up to its primary responsibility
of protecting lives and properties of every citizen of the state and up its
ante at taking proactive measures on the issues raised. I also want to implore
the citizens to be vigilant and security conscious. If you notice any strange
faces loitering your area; alert your
community leaders and security agencies to avert danger.
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