By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
The safety and security of lives and properties of Nigerians, especially those living in Lagos should not be the exclusive responsibility of security agencies.
That was the consensus of delegates during the April parley of Citizens Accountability and Rights Forum (CARF), a monthly stakeholders interactive roundtable on public policy making and execution. The theme of the parley, which held on Thursday in Lagos, was “Safety and Security in Lagos State: Efficiency and Effectiveness; Issues and Challenges.”
Representatives from the Lagos State government, Air Force, Police, Immigration, Lagos State Transport and Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Corps, Fire and Rescue Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, attended the event organised by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in collaboration with the Centre for Anti -Corruption and Open Leadership ( CACOL).
In a panel discussion moderated by Comrade Debo Adeniran, President of CDHR and Chairman of CACOL, some of the issues thrown to the security agencies for clarification onclude; why using brute force to extract confessional statements from suspects, chasing motorists who allegedly contravened the law to their untimely death, extortion of motorists even if their documents are correct, difficulty in getting international passport, the activities of touts, brutality of the military on civilians, operations of military in civilian areas, Fire Service not responding to calls for fire outbreak, response time taking too long, and many others.
Responses
Representative of the Police said the era of torturing suspects has gone.
“We don’t torture suspects again. We have a public complaint Unit where one can lodge complaint if the police tortures you ”
Representative of the FRSC said chasing traffic offenders is against the FRSC patrol procedure. He said all FRSC patrol vehicles are tracked.
Immigration representative said that what delays issuance of passports is the National Identification Number (NIN) introduced by the government and logistical constraints. “That is the major problem we are having. We don’t produce the booklets here. It is brought from abroad. We have technical partners. There are certain things we cannot do,” he said.
He, however, said there is a drastic reduction of complaints from international airports.
Representative of the Air Force said that the complaints about brutality of civilians are against the code of the military profession.
He said the military has its own police intelligence department that deals with complaints against military men or anyone having issues with the military. He said investigation would first be carried out to find out who is culpable before handing over such matters to the police.
Earlier in his welcome address, Comrade Debo Adeniran, President, Committee For The Defence Of Human Rights, CDHR and Chairman, Centre For Anti-Corruption And Open Leadership (CACOL), said this was the third edition of the Citizens Accountability and Rights Forum (CARF).
“Today’s event is a bold step in CDHR and CACOL’s commitment to contribute to creating a peaceful atmosphere between the people on the demand side of governance in Lagos State and those on the supply side.
“This platform was organized to create an avenue where the implementers and the beneficiaries of various government policies would come together to explain, elucidate and expatiate on areas of concern for the citizenry with a view to harmonizing different opinions on policies that are being implemented in the State.
“This event provides a forum for healthy exchanges of ideas so that the areas of friction between the government and the governed would be drastically reduced if not totally eliminated because the people would have sense of belonging and the government would have the opportunity of listening to the people and explaining their positions on diverse policy issues that may crop up at a particular time.
“We are convinced that this will definitely bring about harmonious relationship between the government and the governed.
“Today, our focus would be on Safety and Security in Lagos State: Efficiency and Effectiveness; Issues and Challenges. It would be highly impossible to discuss this important topic without the input of the number one Police Officer of the state in the person of Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Fayoade Adegoke Mustapha (CP). He would be shedding light to the various angles of the entire security architecture in the state. We are very honoured to have him in our midst despite his very tight schedules.
“Urban challenges are multi-dynamics and are associated with several factors including urbanization, urban poverty, social exclusion, social injustice, urban informality, inadequate infrastructure and socio-cultural factors.
“We are all aware that the challenge of urban safety and security is a global challenge with severe physical planning effect on global space. Every nation of the world (developed and developing) are suffering from one crime effect or the other but it is more severe in developing countries.
“Crime rate in Lagos metropolis, like other major cities in the country in relation to the global insecurity has risen to the level of the general outcry of all stakeholders for urgent solutions.
“The issue of cyber-crime, economic fraud, theft, and robbery are increasing by the day with deteriorated urban areas. Several government security policies such as the National Defense Policy 2006 and the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework and Human Right Act adopted to protect lives and properties of citizens are inadequate of achieving the desired results.
“Human abduction, armed robbery, terrorism, bomb attacks and lots more are the common urban security and safety challenges in some parts of the country though not common in Lagos. Safety on the road, at work, and ability to nip in the bud any unforeseen occurrences like fire incidents are other critical areas of safety that we need to improve on.
“Seeking a solution to these challenges has become the general concern of every citizen without significant improvement, hence the need for us to use the opportunity provided by this forum to discuss and offer relevant and useful suggestions on how we all can be more secured and promote safety and security in the state.
“The idea of focusing on the state government’s policies and activities and gathering people to discuss it, is anchored on our determination to ensure that the common man on the street is not short changed by government policies and encourage an all-embracing, all-inclusive implementation of government’s policies so as to enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the State.
“As I have always point out, it should be noted that the forum is not meant only for public servants, as it will also engage major service providers like electricity, communication providers, regulatory agencies, anti-corruption agencies, etc. from time to time as the occasion demands.”