The Lagos State Police Command Wednesday assured residents of its readiness to maintain peace and security during the coming General Elections in the country saying it is prepared to work with other security agencies in the State to forestall any attempts to cause confusion or disquiet during the period.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, who gave the assurance while fielding questions from newsmen after the weekly State Security Council meeting chaired by the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, at Lagos House Marina, said the Command would put every measure in place to ensure that no person or group disturb the peace in any part of the State both during and after the elections.
Responding to a question on the deployment of some men in black uniform on roads in the State purportedly to manage traffic, the Commissioner said the only agencies recognized by the Police to manage traffic in the State remained the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the Traffic Section of the Police.
He reiterated that the Police in the State are ready to counter and control any situation that could bring disquiet during the elections adding that aside the training and retraining of personnel, the Command has also met with key political stakeholders in the State to urge them to play the political game by the rules.
He told newsmen, “We are all prepared, we are ready to ensure that we have a very peaceful election in this State and we are going to work together with all the security agencies; we have undertaken a lot of trainings, workshops and re-training as well as a lot of collaborations within ourselves”.
“We have met with the political leaders and we will continue to meet with political parties also to ensure that they adhere strictly to the rule of the game to ensure that we do not have political violence in this State. This is a very peaceful State and we want it to remain so”, the Police boss said.
The Commissioner warned commercial motorcycle (Okada) operators to confine themselves to the roads approved by the State Government for their operations pointing out that the restriction law banning them from plying some roads in the State is still in force. They must also abide by the traffic laws of the State including the wearing of helmets and not carrying more than one passenger at a time, among others.
Speaking also on the coming Christmas and New Year festivities, the Commissioner said his Command and other security agencies would be proactive in putting in place a very comprehensive security arrangement to ensure that every resident enjoys the Christmas and New Year festivities.
He added, “We have a very serious architecture in this State that is powered by the State Security Trust Fund and we shall make it work, both myself and my colleagues from the Military and from the Air force and Navy and we are all working together as one in this State”.
“We are going to conduct visibility policing here; we are setting up a very special squad to ensure that we do not have any issues in this State 24/7. We are going to be on the roads, we are going to be in all the strategic locations and flashpoints to ensure that residents enjoy the Yuletide season to the fullest”, the Commissioner said.
The Police Commissioner was accompanied at the press briefing by other members of the Security Council including Commander, 9 Mechanized Brigade, Brigadier General David Lubo, Commander Airforce Base, Ikeja, Group Captain Lera Osanyintolu, Commander NNS Beecroft Olokun, Apapa, Navy Commodore David Ikoli, Director State Security Services, Mr. Ben Olayi and Special Adviser on Security, Major Tunde Panox.
