Following the rising cases of insecurity across the country, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have asked the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to urgently deploy Close Circuit Television (CCTV) to forestall a possible spread of the repeat of the clashes recorded across the state recently.
The lawmakers stated that the rising level of insecurity across the country further indicated that there was need for Lagos and other state governors to adopt all technologies that could help forestall the level of insecurity within their domain.
They made their positions known on Tuesday when the majority leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade raised the issue under ‘matter of urgent public importance’ at plenary.
Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, further suggested that the Lagos government should look at the commercial motorcycle operations in the state in view of recent violent clashes and the fact that some of the riders were foreigners whose identities are not known.
“We should increase the number of our security outfits in Lagos State. We should have CCTV around us to prevent what we don’t want in the state. We must be ahead of every situation in our state,” Obasa added.
Also speaking on the issue, the Deputy Speaker, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, said the security challenge was multi-dimensional, adding that there was a need for massive recruitment into the security agencies.
“We need security summits which should start from states and then national. We also need massive recruitments into our security agencies. This will reduce the number of people the hoodlums are recruiting and also provide employment for the youths. We can purchase arms and weapons from foreign countries and let them give us security intelligence reports,” he suggested.
Agunbiade had lamented the recent rise in violence saying that no zone of the country was free, saying, the level of insecurity and violence in our country is deepening. Road travels have become nightmarish, students and academic institutions have become targets and are attacked with impunity. Even, our military formations are under attack.
“Villages and towns have been sacked. Community heads are being kidnapped unabated. It’s as if Nigeria is at war with itself. And as a House, we have to condemn this rising level of insecurity in its entirety. We commiserate with all the states already affected by these attacks.
“We should call on President Mohammed Buhari, Commander in Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria, to show more concern by overhauling the security apparatus in a manner that will bring us together as a nation,” he added.
Contributing, Hon. Rotimi Olowo (Somolu 1), said the county was in a troubled state, adding that the Boko Haram insurgency has spread beyond Maiduguri where it started from.
According to Olowo, it would be difficult to attract foreign investors to the country with this high rate of insecurity. He suggested that the security architecture of the country should be rejigged without sentiments.
“Boko Haram started from Maiduguri and now they have moved to Kaure in Niger State. Several women were kidnapped in a place some kilometres from Abuja. It started in the north, it is now in the South East, South-South, and South West,” he lamented.
He also noted the violence that occurred in Lekki and Ojo areas of Lagos on Monday recalling that one of President Buhari’s promises was to tackle insecurity.
“Mr. President is experienced as a military man. We need to rejig our security infrastructure. Also, our neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad, and Cameroon are porous,” he added.
