Ambode, Security agencies promise to end traffic gridlock robbery

OKUNADE ADEKUNLE

Following the State Security Council Meeting held in Lagos by all
stakeholders, Lagos State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and the
security agencies in the state have resolved to double up efforts to
check the menace of robbery in traffic gridlock in some trouble spots
in the state as well as street trading.

Speaking with newsmen at the end of the meeting,the State Commissioner
of Police, Fatai Owoseni said the Council looked at the security and
crime situation in the past one month with a focus on the menace of
street trading, land-grabbers, and all other security issues in the
state.

“We’ve looked at the areas where we are winning, the areas where we
need to step up our activities and one of those areas we looked at
critically is the issue of the guys that rob on the highway in traffic
gridlock. We have taken a decision to do all what we can do to step
all activities, first, to decongest the traffic gridlock, because if
we do that once traffic moves, we are going to take the street traders
and hawkers off the road”,said Owoseni​

Owoseni explained that efforts were ongoing to decongest traffic,
saying that it would go a long way to reduce the incidence of
unsuspecting citizens falling victim to traffic robbers.

“Once we decongest, we would also reduce the incidence of people
robbing motorists on the road and of course the response time to
distress call will be improved upon. Those are the things we looked
at. The meeting also took the decision that we continue our onslaught
against criminals especially the land grabbers to make sure that they
are brought to justice, once they are arrested, diligent investigation
and prosecution carried out, to show examples to others”, said
Owoseni.

He said the Council also deliberated on the menace of cultists, adding
that efforts have been made within the last one month, jointly by
security agencies to clamp down on them.

“We want to sustain the rate that we are carrying out at the black
spots. We want to make sure that the issue of gangsterism and cultism
is completely wiped out in the state”, said Owoseni

On the resurgence of motorcycle operators popularly called okada
riders, the Police Commissioner said security agencies within the past
one month raided some identified black spots.

He said about 595 suspects were arrested during the raids and close to
400 have been prosecuted while 332 were convicted.

“We would not relent, we would continue on that onslaught to raid
black spots to get rid of street hawking and people who perpetrate
crime in the state. We’ve been all out to make sure that we enforce
those laws to get them off the roads where they are not supposed to
be. We are not just doing that, we are also inviting the various okada
riders associations to let them know that everybody needs to obey the
law and that when laws are made, they are not just made for the fun of
it, but to be enforced and jointly with their cooperation to sensitise
them on the need for them not to break the law”, Owoseni said.