New CP assures Lagos schools of protection

New Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, has declared that there is no single kidnappers’ camp in Lagos State following the destruction of over 200 camps hitherto operated by the men of the underworld.

He spoke on “the roles and expectations of security agencies in securing lives and properties in our schools” at AdeyemiBero Auditorium, Alausa, recently.

Represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of State Criminal Investigation Department, Mr. Bolaji Salami, at a workshop tagged “Towards a safe and secured learning environment,” organised by the Lagos State Government to train Principals, Vice Principals, Counselors and Hostel Masters on safety and security, said kidnapping was not peculiar to Lagos State or Nigeria.

Salami said kidnapping in Lagos State was mainly for ransom collection because the kidnappers were formerly armed robbers and pipeline vandals who were frustrated by the fierce battle that the Police engaged them. The result of the sustained battle against bank robbery, according to him, was that there has not been a single bank robbery in the state in the last two years forcing the armed robbers to change to kidnapping.

The schools, he opined, were seen as soft targets by kidnappers who wanted to cash in on the sentiment and outpouring of emotion that will come from the public to put pressure on government and parents to pay ransom.

The Police, he said, has deployed armed personnel to all boarding schools to secure them day and night while intensive patrol of all neighbourhoods have been heightened to forestall recurrence.

He warned criminals in the state to find something legal to do because the Rapid Response Squad was now in possession of equipment that could locate anyone in any part of the state; thus there is no hiding place for them in Lagos State.

Also, a security expert, Mr. Rawlings Igelugbo, who delivered paper on “The role of principals, vice principals, teachers and students in a safe environment,” urged everyone to security cautious and raise the alarm whenever a suspicious movement was noticed.

He noted that criminals take time to study, plan, execute and get-away, adding that this process could be thwarted before the final stages of execution and get-away by being vigilant and pro-active. He advised against the use of untrained people as guards while all employees should be profiled and details about them properly kept.

He warned against citing schools in vulnerable locations, loose information management, unnecessarily keeping visitors and strangers in the school environment as it allows the criminally minded to study the environment.

He warned parents to desist from unguided display of wealth and over exposure of children and family members.

Earlier, Prof. Mopelola Omoegun in a lecture titled, “Towards a safer school environment, a guidance and counseling approach,” suggested that giving security tips to children in groups, during assembly and during class room teaching will help them to be security conscious.

Children, she added, should be encouraged to be very observant and to report strange movements or faces.