Sunday, November 19, 2017

Yuletide: Lagos threatens to arrest sellers of fireworks


 The  Lagos State Government has vowed to arrest, prosecute any resident who sells, distributes or uses fireworks.

According to the government, the ban on such is still very much in force and necessary to ensure disaster-free festive period.

The government said that aside the security measures already put in place for residents and visitors to experience a peaceful yuletide season, it has also reconstituted the Joint Security Task Force, to tackle Apapa gridlock and other security threats within the axis.

Briefing journalists at the end of the security meeting chaired by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Lagos State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal, said that Apapa gridlock, in the past few weeks, had worsened due to breakdown of operations at the ports located in the axis.

According to him, the taskforce comprising of police, military, officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) would immediately be deployed to the axis to ensure sanity and contain any potential security threat.

Imohimi noted that the taskforce would ensure that the roads in the axis are not totally locked down. He also promised that the taskforce would also prevent criminal elements from taking advantage of the gridlock to commit crimes.

The CP further said: “We deliberated extensively on the Apapa gridlock and the Governor has approved with immediate effect the reconstitution of a joint task force made up of police, the military, LASTMA and FRSC officials to ensure that whilst the major problems that gave rise to that situation in the first instance are being tackled, we on our part as security agencies, will ensure that we have a good semblance of decency on our roads.

“We will ensure that we create a corridor for smaller vehicles and ensure that there is no complete blockade to free flow of traffic. We will also have plain cloth and uniformed security agencies ensuring that there is no crime in the axis due to the traffic gridlock.”

The CP, who assured residents that every necessary arrangement had been made to ensure peaceful yuletide season, said the Council also approved increased visibility and patrol in all parts of the State, especially in areas where there are gridlock as a result of construction activities.

Already, Edgal said due to increased patrol, about 35 notorious traffic robbers were recently arrested in Ilupeju and Oshodi axis, many of whom he said are ex-convicts and would soon be charged to court at the end of investigation.

He added that as a result of the community policing and community safety partnership strategy adopted by the Lagos Police Command, there had been about 35 per cent drop in issues of residential robberies, while more boats had been handed over to Marine Police by the State Government to secure the waterways and riverine areas, especially to checkmate incursions by militants and secure schools in such areas.

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