Sunday, July 27, 2014

Lagos Police prepare for Boko Haram invasion, print 17m pamphlets

Following the twin explosions which rocked the Creek Road area of Liverpool, Apapa, Lagos State on June, 25 and the subsequent declaration by the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekarau that his sect was behind the explosions and now in Lagos, the police and state government have been having sleepless nights, trying to come with up strategies to ensure that the state was thrown into one of anarchy and bloodletting.

Aside from the state governor, Baba Tunde Raji Fashola having a closed door meetings men involved in fuel and gas businesses especially at the apapa, wharf axis, the State’s Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, had also been secretly meeting with Islamic leaders in the state over security of the state.

This was even as members of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress(OPC), under Dr. Fredrick Fasehun faction, have stationed themselves strategically, keeping surveillance on areas and buildings they known were inhabited by Chadians and Nigeriens in the metropolis.

Latest information said that the Nigeria Police Force, across the nation, will soon come out with a radio jiggle to sensitise people about bomb explosions and the numbers to call when they sight anything suspicious.

Meanwhile, the Lagos Command has come up with 17 million pamphlets, geared towards educating Lagosians about bomb explosions, how to avoid them and who to alert when they see suspicious looking items.

Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, who spoke with journalists in her office, said the command found it necessary to print the pamphlets due to the security challenges in the country.

While displaying some of the pamphlets tagged, ‘Counter- terrorism campaign,' Braide said the content would help Lagosians to be more security conscious and know what to do when in doubt.

She said the pamphlets would be distributed in churches, schools, banks, hotels, among other places.

According to her, one of the contents in the pamphlets is that people should know their neighbours and their means of livelihood.

The pamphlet also urged landlords to conduct background checks on all their prospective tenants. People are expected to draw the attention of the police to vehicles parked or abandoned by unknown person.

She added: “Do not allow unknown persons to drop or abandon bags, boxes, fruit barrows, and trolleys, articles of trade or cartons!”

She said legitimate sellers of chemicals such as fertilizer, ammonium products, acid, amongst others, should be wary of persons they sell such products to, stressing that people should be vigilant at public places as objects such as bombs could be kept by unscrupulous persons in unattended bags, packages, cans, and containers.

She said: “Community leaders should work in conjunction with the local police to form association where they could brainstorm about the security of their area.”

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