Okada riders, miscreants top security threats in Lagos – CP Odumosu

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, has called on the state government to immediately review the current guidelines guiding the operation of Okada as a means of commercial transportation in the state and take decisive legal and administrative steps and policies that will curb their traffic, criminal and other nefarious activities in the state.

The police boss stated this while giving an appraisal of the security situation in Lagos, on Monday at the Stakeholders’ Meeting on Security, held in Alausa, Ikeja, organized by the state government.

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This stakeholders’ meeting was aimed at putting the security agencies, communities and entire stakeholders at alert, towards making the state safer for the resident to live and carry out daily activities within ambits of the law without any apprehension or fear.

He disclosed that 192 died in 280 Okada accidents recorded by the police between January to May 7, 2021, across the state.

Odumosu stated that robbery in traffic constitutes another security challenge encountered by the command.

He said in recent weeks the command had been inundated with complaints of robbery in traffic, tactical teams of the command had been deployed to tackle this headlong with 65 of such suspects arrested in the past four weeks. “However, the command’s hands in prosecuting them are being tied by JUSUN strike,” he lamented.

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As a corollary to this, he appealed to the state government to take further steps at resolving the industrial action embarked upon by the judicial workers, JUSUN, in the state which he said had crippled activities of the courts.

“Furthermore, the threat of IPOB to attack soft targets in Lagos Is equally being put on the radar of the command intelligence gathering and other security services in the state. Strategies are being put in place to neutralize their activities.

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“Similarly, the command has taken notice of agitators of Oodua Republic by some Yoruba separatist groups and the threats to disrupt law and order in the state. 24 of these groups have been identified and being closely monitored.

“The command is using this medium to solicit for the support of all and sundry to be vigilant at all times and report any suspicious person or movement to security agencies. Let us adopt the slogan of “when you see something, say something.”

He also expressed concern over religious intolerance being displayed by some religious leaders in causing mayhem in the state.