As Mr Fatai Owoseni, the former Lagos State
Commissioner of Police bows out of the state and hands over baton to Mr Imohimi
Edgal, there are several security challenges waiting for him to tackle.
Most of these security challenges are inherited ones,
but because crime is not static, it is clear that others will soon emerge.
Edgal, who was until his promotion, the Deputy
Commissioner of Police, (DCP), in-charge-of Operations, Lagos Stat Police
Command, worked closely with his predecessor in tackling some of the security
challenges in the state.
Some of the security issues inherited by Edgal are
the guerrilla kind of attacks on schools, carried out by militant kidnappers.
These militants used to storm schools and abduct as
many students as their boats possibly can take. Most of the affected schools
are located close to creeks.
Once the kidnappers have the victims in their den,
they demand for outrageous ransom, banking on frantic state government to make
the payment.
The militant kidnappers’ modus operandi had always
been, to abduct, collect ransom and then wait for some months before embarking
on another school attack and students abductions.
Whenever people in Lagos State are beginning to
breathe a sigh of relieve that the militants were finally gone for good, they
would reappear on the scene and carry out another daring abduction.
Perhaps, the most worrisome security challenge in
the state for today is the nightmarish exploits of the elusive cult group known
as Badoo.
The Badoo ritual killing group has been operating in
Lagos and Ogun states for close to two years now. The group has become the
nightmare of senior police officers and commissioners of police. The group
members operate like ghost-always heard of-but never seen or arrested.
The Badoo group profile showed that the members target
families living in isolated areas. Before they attack, they would rub engine
oil on their bodies. They can slide into apartments through windows or other
openings.
The Badoo members kill and rape and their female
victims. They have been known to rip out foetus from wombs of pregnant women.
They disappear with the babies. They operate under the cover of darkness.
A few female
victims, who had survived their attacks, disclosed that the members used to
wipe their private parts with white handkerchiefs after raping them. Children’s
skulls were often smashed with a grinding mortar and husbands never lived to
tell the tale.
The exact number of women, children and men killed
by the group had become much, forcing petrified citizens of Lagos to stop
counting and take to prayers.
Police in the state, frantic to stem the escalating
tide of the killings, formed a Joint Task Force (JTF). The JTF included security
agents, local vigilante men, traditional leaders and members of the Oodua
Peoples’ Congress (OPC).
The JTF members carried out a lot of raids in areas
where Badoo killings were predominant. The JTF arrested at least over 300.
People have argued that none of those arrested ever confessed to being a Badoo
member. While some of them were screened and allowed to go, others were dragged
to prisons and remanded. A few days
after the raids, the group struck again, making mockery of police arrests.
There is still palpable fear that the group will soon attack again. Indeed, the
head of the snake had not been crushed.
Let’s also not forget the emerging face of alleged
ritual killers,’ operating in different tunnels in Lagos communities. These
discoveries have given rise to jungle justice.
Jungle justice has witnessed murder of some innocent
Lagos citizens. The only way to check this trend is to ensure that perpetrators
are not spared, but prosecuted.
There is also the major security issue of cultism,
which continues to spread its octopus arms across the nation. But it has become
a hard to tackle issue in Lagos.
If Edgal hopes to decimate cultism, he should make
sure that suspects are charged to court and none should be allowed to go, no
matter the caliber of politicians that calls for his release.
Aside the above major challenges, there are minor
security challenges like armed robberies, fraud, murder and theft.
One of the strategies that Edgal need to deploy in
meeting security challenges is to embrace community policing and ensure that he
picks most of his phone calls. Most senior policemen are lousy when it comes to
picking their calls, thus missing vital information.
Already, he has deployed the whistle blowing policy
in order to make Lagos safer and crime free. He has promised to pay anyone who
brings vital and accurate information on crime issues to him.
Since his ascension to the throne, he had been
having marathon meetings with the policemen, such meetings should be sustained.
Policing is all about synergy, one person can’t do it all. He should also look
at educating his policemen in becoming friendlier towards members of the
public.
Perhaps, one of the factors that will make Edgal to
succeed in Lagos is the fact that he knows the state terrain. He should
harnessed this knowledge and make it work for him.
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, said:
“We are comfortable that Edgal does not have to start trying to learn the ropes
because he is very familiar with the security architecture of the state. What
is most important to us is that we must keep the city safe. Lagos must be
safer. We in government have decided that without a safe city, we cannot have a
prosperous state. We will give the new CP all the support and I want to also
say that we will support community policing. You must have seen that in our
action which was why we established the Neighborhood Safety Corps and we want
to thank the Nigerian Police for supporting that. The establishment of the
Corps is part of the fabric of the community policing that the Nigerian Police
Force is now projecting.”
Laying out his plans, Edgal said: “My philosophy is
of community policing and community safety partnership. I intend to partner
with everybody to ensure that Lagos is secured. Lagos is a cosmopolitan city,
the issue of security is dynamic and of course, policing must also be dynamic. I
would be rolling out my policing plan to achieve this. I want to assure everyone
that during my own watch, the governor will have no cause for complaint or
concern. We would serve the people of Lagos with all our heart and with all our
might. I also use this opportunity to tell my colleagues here and I hope they
would pass the information to their subordinates, issues of human right abuses,
corruption, indiscipline generally, it would no longer be a slap on the wrist,
the full weight of the law and police regulations would be meted out on anybody
found wanting during my watch.”
Edgal has laid down his cards on the table and made
promises, but Lagos citizens need more than promises. They need action. They
need to know they have a commissioner of police that would do his utmost to
ensure security of lives and property. Will they get it from Edgal?
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