Ekhomu urges FG to tackle rising militancy in Lagos

President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has called on the Federal Government to urgently tackle the rising incidence of militancy in Lagos suburbs, including Ishawo in Ikorodu to discourage militants who relocated from the Niger Delta region from plying their deadly trade in the state.

In a press release issued in Lagos yesterday, Ekhomu described the recent killing an Army officer, four policemen and two civilians by the militants intent on kidnapping Ikorodu residents as “heinous, despicable and unacceptable in civilised society.”

He urged all law enforcement officers and their friends to collaborate in the search for the killers, saying criminals, militants and terrorists normally do not attack or kill law enforcement or military personnel because of the feeling that they would be detected and severely punished.

He said the incident should be investigated by a Board of Inquiry, as it has thrown up important questions about Police tactics and operations, saying the fact that policemen on kidnap response operations ran out of bullets within a short time meant that they may not have had enough munitions even at the beginning of the shift.

He said there should have been a back up, adding: “This suggested that either they did not radio for backup or they did not get the backup they called for,” as every Police personnel had a duty to protect “his brother” from harm.

He reckoned that if civilian organisations, such as Lagos Neighborhood Watch or vigilance services, were on communication network with the response force, they should have rendered assistance.

Ekhomu advised the Police High Command to set up and promote a website where Nigerians could donate money to the families of the fallen heroes and urged the Federal Government to assume the responsibility of training their children.