Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says the state did not record any case of armed robbery attacks on banks and other financial institutions operating within its boundary for the third consecutive year.

Sanwo-Olu hinged the development on the improvement in security surveillance and the sustainability of measures adopted in checking organised crimes in Lagos State.

He said this at the 16th Town Hall Meeting on security organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) at Civic Centre in the Victoria Island area of the state on Thursday.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his administration adopted a technology-driven strategy that enabled the security agencies respond proactively ahead of potential breaches at vulnerable spots, including a web of undercover operations to frustrate armed attacks on possible targets.

This, he said, has bolstered the confidence of the financial institutions to freely move their cash around the State with limited risks.

The governor said the collaborative security approach had yielded significant results in crime fighting, leading to a sharp reduction in rate of criminality across Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu said the state had not only boosted the morale of the security personnel with constant training and provision of equipment, but had also raised its capacity to contain emerging threats.

He said: “As a government, our approach to security is holistic and collaborative. Our security policy is driven by the need to engender a wholly secure environment that enables the well-being, prosperity, and fulfilment of all the residents.

“We consider no amount of investment too big to be put forward in ensuring the progress we have achieved since inception is sustained. In the last three and a half years, we have continued to maintain the record of zero-incident of robbery attacks on banks or any other financial institution operating in our state.

“LSSTF has been at the forefront of these security efforts. Through the agency, we have continued to provide interventions to the police and other security agencies operating in Lagos in the areas that include operational capacity, training, and logistics.

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“Our efforts have yielded encouraging results in crime fighting, as Lagos remains largely safe for business and living. This relative peace and safety that we have been experiencing in this massive mega city will not be compromised. We will continue to strengthen the security operation to ensure the progress recorded is not reversed.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu said divisional police formations will next week get 25 new pick-up trucks to assist in quick response to security threats in their areas of operation.

Sanwo-Olu said the state government’s intention to employ digital surveillance in combating emerging crimes had started to take shape, given the phased rollout of technology tools, including high-definition cameras to monitor strategic locations across the State.

The governor, however, warned criminals operating in Lagos to vacate the state before the law caught up with them, pledging not to spare any effort in making the state unsafe and inhabitable for criminals.

Sanwo-Olu stated that provision of security should not be seen as a one-way process, urging residents to collaborate and provide information to security agencies whenever they notice suspicious activities within their communities.

On his part, LSSTF Executive Secretary, Dr. Abdur -Razaq Balogun, noted that the constraints necessitating the establishment of the Fund were far from being fully addressed, but said there was no alternative to the resource model in scaling up security response.

Balogun said LSSTF had provided 240 units of fully equipped operational vehicles to all security agencies in Lagos since 2019 in addition to provision of 230 units of motorbikes and security accessories, including 100 digital walkie-talkie, 167 cellular communication gadgets, 2,000 units of Level 4 bulletproof vests, and ballistic helmets, among others.

Despite the successes achieved in the year, the LSSTF boss said the Fund had received the lowest public donation to the tune of N153 million, representing 6.3 per cent of public donations received in 2021.

Appealing for more funding from the private sector, Balogun said: “The necessity for crime-fighting agencies is continuous, as we must accept that crimes are still with us. As this is an election period, political violence is another clear danger we are facing. There is need to raise the capabilities of our security agencies to contain these threats as we approach general elections.”

Reviewing the crime report between November 2021 till date, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, said the Lagos State Police Command arrested 146 armed robbers in 149 foiled attempts.

Alabi disclosed that in the same year, Lagos recorded 52 cases of cultism-related attack, with 240 suspected cultists arrested and charged.

The police commissioner stated that 89 high-grade arms and 376 assorted ammunitions were recovered, adding that 280 dangerous weapons, including cudgels were seized from criminals.

Alabi said: “In the period under review, Lagos Police Command recorded a remarkable feat in crime fighting when we began checkmating the activities of commercial motorcycle riders, following Mr. Governor’s proscription of Okada in the state. Crimes being committed using motorcycles have reduced. Out of 8,105 Okadas we impounded from last year, 4,815 were seized between June and September 2022.”

He, however, appreciated Sanwo-Olu for material and logistic support rendered to the Lagos State Police Command, assuring that the officers would not rest on their oars towards ensuring peace and safety in the state.

The Star