As the year 2019 gradually draws to an end, Nigerians have been advised to be security conscious and keep their eyes wide open as ‘men of the underworld’ usually take advantage of the Yuletide period to strike and carry out nefarious activities.
Speaking with Muslim News at the quarterly Dawah workshop on security organised by the Lekki Muslim Ummah (LEMU) in Lagos over the weekend, the former Commissioner of Police and Special Adviser on Security to the Oyo State government, Mr Fatai Owoseni urged members of the public to be security conscious and not hesitate to reach out to the police when in distress.
Ably represented by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Olatunji Idrisu Disu, Mr Owoseni commended Lekki Muslim community for setting up a talk on security, saying it was a great initiative considering the period of the year it was organised.
According to him, “I have to thank them for this great initiative, especially at this particular period of the year, to choose a topic on security of this nature. They are not only concerned about Lagos State, they are concerned about Nigeria in general. This is a call to security consciousness for everybody.
He said, Now, we are in the period of the Yuletide. People who never worked all through the year, would want to enjoy. And there is no other way to go about it than to attack and steal from people who have worked so hard throughout the year just to get money to enjoy during this period.
“I call on all Nigerians to be vigilant. If they are traveling, their cars must be serviced, they should ensure they have good tyres, use their seatbelts, and be conscious of their environment. That’s my advice to the public,” he said.
Speaking on the topic, “Curtailing the menace of kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and other vices in Nigeria”, the Police boss noted that both the government and citizens must give their best in curbing the menace of kidnapping in the society.
DCP Disu, who is also the Commander of Rapid Response Unit, Lagos Command, added that cases of kidnapping recorded in Lagos compared to other states of the federation are on the decrease given the efforts of the Lagos State Police Command.
In his words, “It is important that we all put an end to insecurity. It shouldn’t be left to the government alone. Everyday, you keep hearing about kidnapping in the media, that is not true about Lagos State. You could be hearing about it because you are tuned federally. In Lagos, kidnapping does not happen every time. It happens occasionally. And every time, we either rescue the victims or arrest the suspects also.
“Recently, a youth corp member was kidnapped, and within a few days, the corp member was rescued. Two kidnappers were shot. One died immediately while the other died at the hospital. The wonderful effort by the Command of Lagos State is putting a stop to this ugly issue of kidnapping.
“So, in Lagos State, if they come, Lagos State Police Command is ready for them. We are going to rescue the victims and those who took part in the kidnapping would be arrested. With all the technology at our disposal, we are sure of unravelling any kind of kidnapping that takes place in Lagos,” he added.
Advising his colleagues in the force, DCP Disu said that every member of the force must show keen concern and be committed to rendering service to the public, noting that showing keen interest to public concerns has been the guiding principle of the Lagos State Police Force.
“First and foremost, every member of the force should remember that our job involves service to members of the public. We should feel concerned whenever we have cases of this nature.
“Somebody has been kidnapped. The person kidnapped belongs to a family. All members of the family are going to be apprehensive and troubled. So, we should empathize and put in all efforts, even put in extra effort to ensure that we unravel it. It is interesting that in Lagos State, we take interest when things like these happen, and we have vowed to go to any length to ensure that we put a stop to criminal incidents,” he said.
He also called on members of the public to be their brother’s keeper by assisting them anytime they are in trouble.
“The emergency numbers in Lagos – 112 and 767 or other police numbers are always active. Assist members of the society when you see them in trouble because you don’t know whose turn it may be,” he said.
– Abdullahi Abdulganiy
