Senate, PDP, NCP rally round Lagos to check insecurity

The Senate, Lagos State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the National Conscience Party (NCP) have called on the Federal Government to beef up security in Lagos, and also fortify the state’s waterways to check the rise in militancy, kidnapping and other related crimes.

The call, which was made at the Senate plenary in Abuja and also in separate interviews with the spokesmen of Lagos PDP and NCP, came on the heels of the tension generated by some militants attack in the wee hours of Sunday. They unleashed mayhem on Ishawo area of Ikorodu killing five policemen and two soldiers.

Senator Gbenga Ashafa moved the motion calling for immediate intervention of the security agencies especially in the area of kidnapping.

Ashafa noted with grave concern the recent increase in the activities of criminal syndicates who specialize in kidnapping and militant activities in and around communities like Kosofe, Epe, Ikorodu and Ibeju Lekki local government areas of Lagos.

Ashafa while moving his motion expressed concern that the activities of these criminals have forced law-abiding residents of coastal communities of the affected places to flee their homes and abandoned their livelihood out of fear.

The lawmaker sited the example the Onise of Ise, Oba Ganiyu Adegbesan who had to vacate his palace due to insecurity.

While listing some of the recent activities of the criminals within his district, the Senator brought to the fore the case of a particular victim, Mr. Ademola Salami, a 42 year old plank dealer who was kidnapped on April 7 in Ise community, Ibeju Lekki by seven abductors, who escaped in a gunboat via the river, saying: “The abductors are now demanding N100 million as ransom for his release.”

Making a case for an urgent need to beef up the strength of the marine police, the Senator alerted his colleagues that between April and July, 2016 there were reports of militant activities in some communities in Ikorodu, including Elepete, Agbede, Ishawo and Igbo-Olomu, which led to the death of residents. These militants were equally reported to have stormed the communities through the creeks using gunboats.

According to him, “The activities of these criminal syndicates have caused untold hardship to the people of Lagos East and the intervention of the Federal Government is urgently required.”

However, Senator Joshua Lidani from Gombe South noted that kidnapping was not only peculiar to Lagos. He gave examples of people including his relatives, who were recently kidnapped in Abuja on whom ransom had to be paid to secure their release.

Sequel to Ashafa’s narration, the Senate advised the Federal Government to direct the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately instruct the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, to beef up the strength of the task force already on ground in order to effectively secure all the affected creeks and communities.

The upper chamber also resolved that the Federal Government should direct the police boss to immediately make available sufficient helicopters for aerial surveillance and gunboats to the Marine Police Department of the Lagos Police Command to enable it effectively tackle the activities of the militants.

PDP’s Spokesman, Taofik Gani urged that the state government should respond quickly and be very pro-active.

Similarly, the NCP faulted Ambode’s approach to the crisis.

The party’s National Secretary, Mr. Ayodele Akele asserted that the rising rate of insecurity across the nation is the consequences of unemployment.