IG’s college safety squad will sort out bullying — Lagos CP
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In this interview with Deji Lambo, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, provides an perception into the measures in place to maintain the industrial capital of Nigeria secure from felony parts
The safety affairs of Lagos State have been below your direct supervision since final yr, what vital adjustments have you ever launched to enhance the safety state of affairs of the state because you took cost because the Commissioner of Police?
I assumed obligation in Lagos on December 14, 2023, because the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command. Since my assumption, I’ve made outstanding adjustments within the safety structure of the state, realizing that there are safety challenges starting from visitors and ‘One Chance’ theft, cultism, space boy menace and different associated crimes that aren’t of excessive magnitude.
I’ve to place measures in place; rejig the safety structure, sensitise and mobilise my officers and males to maintain the safety structure on throughout the day and evening. Divisional Police Officers and Area Commanders had been directed to be on their toes and be sure that, each day and evening, police presence is seen and accessible in any respect nooks and crannies of the state are effectively policed.
Having realised that some areas like Ajegunle, Alimosho, and all of the suburbs of Lagos are comparatively crime-prone, I created tactical groups to sort out all of the pockets of crime in these areas. I can confidently say that each one these minor disturbances have been put in test. We have been capable of combat cultism to a standstill as their actions have drastically diminished within the state.
We observed that the variety of miscreants was on the rise and their presence on the streets, bridge and below the bridge, was changing into a critical menace to the safety and peace within the state, I mobilised the boys and we commenced calculated and focused raids at areas that these miscreants are at all times hibernating and I can inform you that we have now been capable of take away all of them from the general public area that has been very calm now. Within the area of six months, we have now been capable of get 3000 miscreants raided from black spots and so they have been remanded at correctional centres within the state.
Just a few days in the past, an assault on the Ipaja Police Station by motorcyclists was repelled by policemen. The motorcyclists had been mentioned to be protesting towards the enforcement of the ban towards their operations within the space and two motorcyclists had been killed throughout the incident and several other of them had been arrested. Could there have been different means to discover to keep away from pointless deaths, particularly with the general public’s notion of police brutality?
We have at all times operated in a way that won’t trigger hurt or dying to any Nigerian. But within the case of Ipaja Division, these motorbike operators numbering over 100, gathered with offensive weapons and a few lethal objects, to set the station ablaze and take the lives of a few of our policemen who’re working very arduous to defend the state and nation. And by the point they got here, a few of them, who had been armed with weapons, had been even firing on the police station and minimal pressure which concerned the spraying of teargas was used to disperse them however some remained adamant and so they saved surging forward to assault the station and possibly cart away arms and injure a few of our policemen.
In the method, I feel two of the motorcyclists had been fatally injured and we had been in a position to withstand their try and enter the station and trigger any havoc. At the top of the day, the station remained. We additionally went additional to apprehend 200 of their bikes and made certain that they had been saved from fully inflicting any havoc to the police station. So, we used minimal pressure and by no means wished a state of affairs that will trigger hurt or damage to anyone. But in a state of affairs the place the lives of policemen had been visibly in peril, we needed to react and save our station and our arms and ammunition, and save the lives of our policemen.
Has the command charged the arrested motorcyclists in court docket?
Yes, we arrested about 22 motorcyclists and so they have all been charged in court docket.
Since the ban enforcement is a unbroken train, how will the police be sure that such enforcement received’t degenerate right into a disaster once more within the space and different areas of the state in future?
=We have at all times ensured that the enforcement of the ban on motorbike operations within the state doesn’t degenerate right into a disaster. We have been having discussions with among the leaders of the motorcyclists to sensitise them in the direction of adhering strictly to areas the place the federal government has ordered that bikes mustn’t function. Also, at varied conferences on the command and divisional ranges, we additionally had conferences with them and so they know the place to not function however a few of them are so adamant and so they imagine that they’re above the regulation and that they’ll function the place the federal government had advised them to not function. We usually are not in a lawless society; passing the regulation proscribing motorbike operations is for the advantage of all people and all of them ought to key into this association and make it possible for the enforcement is made simple. We don’t have any intention of harming anyone, however the regulation because it has been handed have to be enforced.
What are the expectations of the police command from residents who intend to specific their grievances by a protest within the state?
We have at all times mentioned that if anyone needs to protest, as soon as the protest isn’t violent and can be peaceable, the police can be there to help them to make it possible for the protest isn’t hijacked by hoodlums. So, each Nigerian have the fitting to protest, however the protest have to be peaceable, it should not hinder or impede vehicular actions as doing so will forestall others from going about their lawful duties. Once we’re assured that that’s how the protest can be like, we give assist by way of offering some males to observe the protesters from no matter level they need to cowl for the interval of their protest.
Sometime in February 2024, throughout the NLC protests supported by some folks within the state, policemen had been captured in a video that went viral distributing bottled water and snacks to the protesters, what impressed the transfer?
What impressed the transfer is the willpower to make it possible for the protest is itch-free and devoid of violence. Before the protest began, we had a collection of conferences with the NLC, and we each agreed that it might be peaceable and all by, it began and ended peacefully. Along the road, I felt the protesters had been getting drained after the lengthy stroll, and I simply deemed it match to get water and biscuits and rolled them out to the protesters and policemen for them to take and funky off after the lengthy trek.
By the time we bought to our vacation spot, no one had fallen, and everybody was nonetheless robust, and the House addressed the protesters and all people dispersed to their varied locations. I by no means knew the act would go viral, I felt it was only a regular factor to do and I didn’t understand it was going to be applauded by Nigerians. Anything we have now to do to make sure that there’s peace; we should always not hesitate to do it and we had been capable of obtain that lasting peace throughout the protest.
Recently, the command smashed a syndicate buying and selling human physique elements for cash in Lagos State. How was this breakthrough potential and what do Lagosians want to concentrate on to not fall sufferer to such felony parts within the state?
We arrested them by our enhanced intelligence community. One of the issues I used to be capable of obtain after I got here in was the technique of group engagement. When you have interaction the group in policing, you’ll remedy all the issues in that group as a result of you have already got credible information about the place these criminals hibernate and how one can get them. That was what has been working for us; by our intelligence community, we bought them arrested.
They weren’t arrested without delay; we picked them up at completely different instances. My recommendation to Nigerians and Lagosians is that they need to keep away from getting into automobiles that they don’t know something about. Especially automobiles with strangers; a few of these folks, after they drive their vehicles, as a result of they’re in a rush to get to work on time, would simply enter any automobile. They must be cautious of automobiles they enter and they need to not simply enter any automobile that belongs to any individual that they didn’t know.
At the identical time, if they’re travelling a protracted distance, they need to go to the park and decide a automobile that’s correctly registered, they need to not simply enter a automobile by the roadside, as it’s harmful. Most of those victims of kidnapping and ritualism and are picked by the roadside within the guise that they’re taking them to their locations, whereas alongside the road, they’ll detour and take a unique route. We must be cautious of the type of automobiles we enter any time any day as these individuals are disguised in lots of kinds and when you fall into their lure, it’s at all times very troublesome to get out as a result of they’ll dispossess you of all that’s on you so that you can attain out to your loved ones members and associates.
What precisely is the command making an attempt to speak by the health wall for safety and security it lately launched into within the state?
The concept is to return out and inform Lagosians that we’re dedicated to making sure that Lagos is secure and secured. And to inform Lagosians that we’re robust and wholesome to carry out our duties 24 hours and that we’re dedicated to proceed to do our work till we achieve eradicating all types of crime and criminalities within the state. At the identical time, we additionally need to let Lagosians know that we’re prepared and dedicated to combating crime to a standstill and advise Lagosians to proceed to assist us by giving us credible data by saying one thing after they see it and ensuring that each one these unhealthy boys hiding of their territory are smoked out. Where they can not smoke them out by themselves, they need to give us data, and we might come out to make sure that they’re faraway from that neighborhood and brought to the place they belong.
The act of bullying is prevalent in society and faculties and a few pupils have sustained accidents and a few died resulting from this worrisome motion perpetrated by their colleagues. Investigation into a few of these circumstances is often carried out by the police. Is there any step the police are taking to curtail this disturbing act in society?
So far, we have now been having common interfaces with college proprietors and faculty authorities to speak about safety, security and self-discipline. Also, the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, in his magnanimity has simply created the School Protection Squad. The squad is to make sure that faculties are shielded from any type of assault by hoodlums or anyone. At the identical time, they’ve additionally been providing help by way of advising the college about self-discipline and about points that may trigger indiscipline in faculties and advising youths or pupils to steer clear of any acts of violence, acts of becoming a member of unhealthy gangs, keep away from drug abuse and associated actions, advise pupils to exhibit good characters, keep away from bullying, shouting, or the usage of abusive languages on their colleagues, and inspiring them to indicate extra of excellent perspective and pair collectively for a superb goal and never for the aim that will destabilise the peace and progress of the college.
I imagine this squad will transcend their mandate to make sure that acts of bullying in faculties turn into a factor of the previous. Bullying can be in society and my recommendation is that when anyone experiences any case of significant bullying earlier than it results in different issues, the particular person ought to shortly inform the regulation enforcement companies to intervene in order that the problem might be introduced below management.
Any different factor you want Lagosians to concentrate on?
What I would like Lagosians to concentrate on is to make sure that they’re safety acutely aware and get their neighborhood correctly illuminated, and help the police with intelligence gathering in order that we are able to perform our actions to all of the hideouts of felony parts within the neighbourhood and dislodge their enterprises in order that we are able to have absolute peace in our communities. Once they see something that will disturb the peace of their space, they need to not hesitate to inform the police even when they need to conceal their id. Let them give us data on the felony hideouts and conceal their id; it might assist a great distance to make sure that our neighbourhoods are very secure. I additionally advise that they need to cease investing in Ponzi schemes as many individuals fall sufferer to those schemes.
