No hiding place for militants in Lagos – Ambode

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State said on Wednesday that his administration would deploy every arsenal to ensuring that militants and vandals threatening the peace of Lagos were completely flushed out.

Ambode spoke when he received the acting inspector general of police, Idris Ibrahim, at the State House, Ikeja, saying all efforts would be made to sustain the success so far recorded in the ongoing fight to dislodge the criminals.

The Nigeria Armed Forces, Police and other security agencies have been on the trail of the militants in some communities bordering Ogun and Lagos since last month, with over 100 of them reportedly killed in the creeks via military bombardment.

Ambode said “I want to also use this medium to commend the Nigeria Police and other security agencies on our fight against the militants and vandals that we have embarked on in this ‘Operation Awatse’ in the last one week. I want to commend all the security agencies for a job well done. I also want to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for approving that operation by what we have seen.

“Again, we need to sustain and ensure that these people do not go back to the creeks. On our part as a government, whatever it is that it will take to take the militants and vandals off Lagos we are going to do it, if it means shutting down some locations where they seem to be hibernating in terms of any commercial trade, we would do it and make sure that we guarantee the lives of our people. And whatever it takes in terms of financial support for the security agencies to sustain the success we’ve had in the last few days, we would do it.”

Earlier, the police boss said he was in Lagos to visit some police formations. He commended the state government’s support and cooperation to the police and other security agencies in recent time, saying the synergy between security agencies and the state was encouraging.

He also commended the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, saying it was a model that other states of the federation could take a cue from.

“When I was commissioner of police in Kano State, we had to travel to Lagos to understudy the Security Trust Fund. So, it has served as a model for other states in the federation,” Ibrahim said.