Take advantage of law to arm Neighbourhood Corps – Falana tells Lagos govt

Renowned lawyer and human right activist, Barrister Femi Falana (SAN) has charged Lagos State government to take advantage of the law of the country and empower the State security outfit, the Neighbourhood Safety Corps. Falana made this call while speaking at one day public hearing on a bill for a law to amend the Lagos State Security Trust Fund organised by the State House of Assembly. The lawyer who said Lagos State required not less than 100,000 police officers to effectively police over 20 million residents of the State maintained the State is greatly under police and therefore, charged the State government to take advantage of Section 214 subsection 2(b) of the 1999 constitution to empower its security outfit, the Neighbourhood Safety Corps with possession of fire arms to help it perform its duties effectively The senior lawyer explained that the intervention of State trust fund and the efforts of the then State Governor, Babatunde Fashola made Lagos State more secured compared to other States of the federation. “The security agency we have set up in Lagos should be given opportunity to carry arms on duty as does by the police while the Federal Government can go to court if disturbed by this move. Without these corps being strengthened, it will be difficult to get it right in the area of security. “I came to sensitise the Lagos Assembly on the need to wake up to their responsibility to securing the lives and properties in the State”, Falana stated. The lawyer also lamented the inability of Nigerian police council, a body of 39 members to meet saying the body has never meet while the President has continued to announce successive Inspector General of Police. “I want to see the corps arresting criminals in therefore State and to do this effectively they must be armed and If they abused the opportunity, they can be dealt with according to the law”, he said. Falana further suggested additional duties to the safety corps saying they can also be empowered to inspect uncompleted building to dislodge criminals who take abode in such buildings. “The corps can also pick up school children roaming the streets during school hours, return them to school authorities. They can also liaise with prisons service to know the number of prisoners released at every point in time for proper monitoring.
Speaking earlier at the parley, the Chairman, House Committee on Information and Strategy, Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho assured the stakeholders that their contributions would be worked upon in the course of amending the law. Stressed the opinion of the people is very germane to the amendment of the law. Alade Tasma, Lagos