The Lagos State Police Command has intensified security deployments to schools, places of worship, and other public locations to prevent criminal activities, the Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has said.
Jimoh made the announcement on Monday at the command headquarters in Ikeja while briefing journalists, assuring residents that the state remains safe and secure. He said the heightened security measures would continue throughout the ember months and into the New Year.
“We want the general public to know that Lagos is safe and secure. We have made additional deployments to all schools, places of worship, religious centres and other locations frequently visited by people to ensure all worshippers are safe. This will continue into the New Year and beyond to ensure the safety of all Lagosians and other Nigerians coming into the state. We don’t have any concern to be worried about; we are beefing up security throughout the state,” he said.
The CP also revealed ongoing efforts to expand the police tactical squad across the state’s local councils. The move comes against the backdrop of rising security breaches in parts of the country, including recent abductions in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states.
Addressing the spike in stolen vehicles within Lagos, Jimoh identified newly employed drivers and car wash attendants as key perpetrators. During the briefing, he paraded 10 exotic cars recovered by the police and confirmed that 56 suspects had been arrested for various offenses across the state.
“I want to emphasise that the onslaughts on the men of the underworld have been yielding results. And that is why behind me there are 10 exotic cars that I’m parading before you today. These vehicles are mostly those that were taken by the drivers who were in charge of such vehicles. Because the complaints we have about stolen vehicles in Lagos were that drivers who were just employed took the vehicles away. And we equally have instances where vehicles that were taken to a car wash were being driven away by the attendants,” he explained.
Jimoh advised residents to adopt stricter personal security measures, especially regarding their vehicles.
READ ALSO: Lagos Police Arrest 52 Suspects, Recover 10 Stolen Vehicles In November
“So, we should be more security conscious by ensuring that when we take our vehicle to a car wash, we don’t leave the key of the car with the car wash attendant. We should ensure this security measure so that we don’t get our vehicle stolen,” he added.
Among the recovered vehicles were a white Toyota Hilux, a white Range Rover SUV, a black Land Cruiser, a silver Lexus GX460 SUV, a silver Honda CR-V, a grey Toyota Corolla SM3, and another Toyota Corolla with registration number JJJ 887. A Boxer Bajaj motorcycle used during a robbery attempt was also seized.
In addition, the police displayed an array of weapons recovered from suspects, including four locally made pistols, a cut-to-size single-barrel shotgun, a locally fabricated firearm, cartridges, and a machete.
“Each of these vehicles has two or three suspects attached to it. For these successes altogether, we have arrested 56 suspects,” Jimoh noted, assuring that intensified operations would continue to safeguard Lagosians.
The commissioner also promised heightened security around public institutions and areas with high human traffic.
The alert follows a recent incident reported by Lagos-based developer Olakanmi Ogundele, whose newly hired driver, Olufemi Jogbodo, allegedly absconded with his Gelly Saloon vehicle, number plate AGL586GW, just four days after starting work.
Ogundele explained that Jogbodo, who initially identified himself as Adeleye, was assigned to him on November 18 after his previous driver fell ill. The driver accompanied him on a trip to Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, on the same day and returned to Lagos on November 20. According to Ogundele, the suspect later took him to the office before absconding with the vehicle while Ogundele was in a meeting.
