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| Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor, Lagos State |
The statistics is damning,
even in a state as highly populated as Lagos, which mirrors the country to the
international community. No nation can afford to lose its human resources, at
that rate, to mindless people in misadventures. That toll portrays an
atmosphere of insecurity across the country; it should be redressed by the
relevant authorities.
Sadly, a substantial number
of the murder incidents were caused by cult-related activities and street
fights, according to the Police Commissioner. More worrisome is the shift in
cult clashes from the conventional university campuses to the streets of Lagos
where artisans are now cult kingpins. Police authorities may also wish to worry
about an upsurge in ritual killings and kidnap for ransom.
In the past fortnight
(outside of the stated figures), nine ritual murders, all women, were reported
in one location of Ikorodu town where headless bodies were deposited in a
canal, in just five days. The police should strive hard to bring the culprits
to book; else they will be encouraged to perpetrate the crime. No matter who is
involved or for whatever purpose, the law against taking of human lives
unlawfully subsists, and must be made to take its course. The country can do
without this culture of bestiality.
The police must take full
responsibility for poor investigations which have resulted in a high number of
unresolved murders even of high profile citizens in the recent past. Perplexing
as it is, the situation calls for a drastic review of crime investigation
processes. More or less, there is a serious need for security agencies to raise
the bar in protecting the people. Crime prevention and bursting capacity would
be a great plus in the fight to keep peace and assure citizens of protection by
the state.
Lagos citizens need more
than Police Commissioner Owoseni’s assurance that his Command has secured
dominance of security space along with intense investigation of cases and
improved detection of crime. That is just as well. Nothing, other than
apprehension of murderers, and their successful prosecution, will satisfy the
people. The improved supply of security gadgets worth N4.8 billion by the state
government may well judge him and his men in future if civil security is again
seriously breached.
Mr. Owoseni had also at the
town hall meeting put together by the state’s Security Trust Fund (LSSTF)
listed 44 armed robbery cases, 25 kidnap cases among the challenges posed
within the 11 months. To the Command’s credit, it recovered 233 stolen vehicles
and items worth N1.4 billion.
The Federal Government
should be concerned that inadequate policing which is itself a fallout of the
centralised command structure and sub-par police-citizen cover ratio is of a
serious challenge. It has been established that the country has for long
operated well below the United Nations recommendation of 222 policemen to
100,000 citizens. Nationwide, the current carrying capacity is 370, 000 to
about 170 million Nigerians. This is an abysmal ratio for effective policing.
Boosting the figure of police personnel through regular recruitment is
required; but the ultimate solution, perhaps, is the decentralisation of the
police force to reflect the yearnings for state or community policing. That is
realisable in a proper federal structure from which the country cannot run
away. In the interim, the neighbourhood watch practice or vigilance groups can
be strengthened to work in collaboration with and under the direction of the
police. The Police-Community Relations Committees should also be further
empowered to facilitate exchange of information on activities in the
communities.
Information is key to
effective policing. Members of the public should feel obligated to give
information to the police about suspected criminals. This is the least they can
do in the performance of their civic duties. However, it is important that the
police protect the identities of informants. There had been reports of ugly
incidents in the past, arising from police failure in this regard. The federal
and state governments can also seriously look into the sociology of crime –
what has been pushing people into crime: hunger occasioned by joblessness,
inadequate reformation of prison inmates and rehabilitation thereafter and poor
police investigations.
Among the gains of
effective security system is a reassured citizenry, societal peace, and foreign
direct investments. The country’s leaders should be excited about such
prospects. The people deserve better than crime-infested cities, towns and
communities. (Guardian)
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