Lagos State government has restated commitment to the implementation of robust communication strategy and initiatives aimed at addressing security concerns of the residents, especially the youth population.
“Our intention is to cultivate their trust and get them to embrace participatory governance. The issue of security is a shared mission, the more we are able to engage the citizenry, the better we will become at nipping crime in the bud,” said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State governor, at the 14th annual town hall meeting on security organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) tagged, “Lagos security: Resilience in the face of adversity.”
Sanwo- Olu, who is redeeming the N60 million pledge made to slain police officers during the # EndSARS protest, said the year 2020 has been one of the complex challenges to the safety and security architecture in the state.
“It is indeed true that when it rains, it pours, and all these events have indeed tasked our resilience and crisis management capacity; but we have remained resolute about rising above these challenges that threaten our very safety and wellbeing, and in so doing maintaining law and order which sometimes become vulnerable in the light of such challenges,” said Sanwo-Olu.
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According to the governor, there have been significant threats to the collective health, safety, and security of citizens with the advent of the coronavirus (Covid-19). Hence the government committed N52.76 billion to public order and safety in the 2021 appropriation bill.
“It is ironical that even before these unfortunate incidents, we had begun working on a complete overhaul and improvement of our security architecture in Lagos State. We had made a lot of progress, and only needed to bridge certain technological and logistical gaps, before the crises erupted,” said Sanwo-Olu stating that his administration was proactive and committed to being deliberate about the issues of security and safety.
As the chief security officer of Lagos State, Sanwo-Olu made a promise to all law-abiding Lagosians, saying “we will stop at nothing to flush out criminal elements whose sole aim is to foment chaos and perpetrate crime.
“Let me sound this note of warning: There is no hiding place for criminals and bandits in Lagos State,” said Sanwo-Olu.
Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, chairman, LSSTF board of trustees, said security agencies with the mandate to protect lives and property were in dire need of critical infrastructure, equipment, training and logistics on the back of the recent happenings in the country.
“As we cannot wish away these realities, there is a paramount need to continue to support the security agents operating in our state to deter, track down, confront, arrest, and prosecute criminals, so that our businesses and social lives can prosper and our families can be safe,” he stated.
Abdurrazaq Balogun, executive secretary/ CEO, LSSTF, said the increase in criminal activities in the past few weeks can be attributed to the damage on police assets and lethal weapons, now in possessions of non-state actors.
“It should be noted that an estimated 80 percent of the operational vehicles in use by the police in the last 13 years have been through the LSSTF,” said.
Balogun stating that the LSSTF would continue to intervene in providing critical support to security agencies operating in Lagos.
