It was a three-day eye-opener. Visiting Lagos State could not have been better achieved without reliable information from residents and stakeholders who actually feel the pinch of the negative effects of criminal activities in the state.

These are the ones that see and hear what actually happens in their various communities. Touching down at the Muritala Muhammed Airport was not new but this time around the atmosphere in Lagos seemed palpable not for any heinous purposes but because of the hectic pace of business activities. It is known that Lagos is the nation’s business hub. Everyone in the cosmopolitan city wants to be seen as doing something, and that is where you see the good, the bad and the very ugly.
Unfortunately, the very bad homosapiens are those that create the ugly atmosphere that affects the people and make security personnel stand on their toes daily. The security personnel in the state are the police, Civil Defence, State Security Service and the  “giant killers,”  the military.
When there is purposeful synergy, there are results, but, like a chain, when there is a snap in the chain, there are pains and complaints from members of the state. Lagos is known for all manner of criminality. From heinous crimes like armed robbery, kidnapping to dangerous cultural and institutional cultism, traffic robbery and many more.
These are hatched and later exported to other parts of the country. In fact, when there are recorded breakthroughs in quelling and arresting any of these forms of crime, the template is used by other states to curb criminal activities.
Had the notorious Fulani herdsmen’s activities been first experienced in Lagos, obviously, there would have been a better template of fighting and curbing their excesses. For instance, when armed robbers nearly overran Lagos in the early 1980s, officers of like Sir Mike Okiro, James Danbaba, Aghedo, Adebayo and later security operatives like Dennis Amakiri of the State Security Service (now DSS), M.D. Abubakar, Marvel Akpoyibo and Fatai Owoseni lived up to expectations.
These men left legacies of a safe Lagos and it is interesting to note that the present commissioner of police, who many have come to see as the face of security in Lagos State, has exhibited a strong grip and understanding of how to strategically handle criminality in the state and secure the state. Lagos State Commissioner of Police Edgar lmohini looks like a reincarnation of previous police commissioners who had relentlessly served the people of Lagos. However, my visit raised more questions that are begging for answers. At Ketu and Apapa highways, the cry of residents, especially private car owners, needs to be strategically looked into. The traffic hoodlums, who forcefully break into stationary cars held up in traffic, connotes extreme lack of security. Many have been attacked and had their belongings   forcefully removed from them.
Apart from that, the usual police presence is almost inexistent, same in other states of the country. It is surprising that the police authorities condone the absolute inefficiency being perpetrated by policemen of today. It is absurd that recruits in their youthful vigour enlist into the police only to clamour for office jobs, instead of being on the streets to do the needful protecting of life and property of the ordinary citizen. A visit to some divisional police stations in Maroko, Ajegunle, Ketu, Ikeja, Apapa and Festac spoke volumes, as able-bodied policemen and women loitered about doing virtually nothing and adding no value to policing but waiting for the month to end for their salary.
In London, where the Nigeria Police was birthed, you still find, till date, policemen and women patrolling their streets, as such measures reassure the citizens of their constitutionally guaranteed safety. A situation where every policeman and woman prefers to become an administrative worker carrying files and jostling for political jobs should no longer be encouraged. The people of Lagos pay their taxes and it is from these that these security personnel are paid their monthly wages.
A situation where it has become the norm for the citizens who work and regularly pay their taxes to start doing the “work” of policing does not speak well of the police.  Another ailment that the police commissioner should address is that of extortion by the police personnel across the ranks. Just like in security operations, there are “flask points.” Such are noticeable in divisional police stations in Lagos. They are notoriously known in Lagos as  “bribe collector stations” and “debt collecting” police stations.
There is no police station that is absolved of this public allegation but as regards debt collection, the age-long notorious Area “F” Police Station seems to be the beginning and the end of this unfortunate malpractice.
I overheard a conversation last Monday, where a policeman out of uniform was hatching how he would help a complainant arrest someone owing him N2 million and demanding for an upfront payment of 20 per cent of what he described as  “business.” More inquiry revealed that all cops are involved in such business.
A time was in the police when a police commissioner called Parry Osayande in Benue State transferred every police personnel in a particular divisional police station out to another station. The cleansing exercise restored discipline at the station.
Some police stations in Lagos, to my mind, are amply ripe for such cleansing, just to instill sanity in the system. While everyone on the street is applauding the visible efforts of the commissioner, yet security observers are unanimous that there should be more security presence in every nook and cranny of Lagos.
It is impressive to see that the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has suddenly retreated into its ugly shell after the public outcry against its inhuman and defiant hard stand of wickedness meted on Nigerians of every cadre. My visit to the SARS revealed a squad that has realised its errors and mindless criminal activities.
They have turned a new leaf and are like a dog that, on realising its bad nature, is ready to change and has tucked its tails between its legs.

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SECURITY TIPS
1. When driving at night, ensure you wind up you glasses, and lock up.
2. Regularly report any strange situation, strange persons and abnormal happenings to the nearest security office.