The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reveals that the state government has concluded plans to deploy at least 10,000 from the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps to assist with the provision of security across the state.
The governor said this will come into effect once the Federal Government and the National Assembly firm up constitutional provisions for the establishment of state police.
This was made known by Governor Sanwo-Olu during a live media chat with some select journalists on Thursday, February 22, 2024, in Lagos, where he stated that he eagerly awaiting the creation of state police across the country.
Sanwo-Olu said the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), a uniformed security agency established by a law of the Lagos State House of Assembly in 2016, would be pulled out to join state police.
Recommended reading: Lagos Govt says it requires N10 billion annually to bridge security operation gap
Neighbourhood corps to surpass expectation
Sanwo-Olu said,
- “I am an advocate for it. I believe we needed it like yesterday. And the interesting thing is that we have the Neighborhood Watch and it is still functional, about 6,000 of them. The good news is that I have given approval for us to recruit additional 4,000 of them. And this is job for our youths, our able-bodied men.
- “What that means for me is that if they give approval for state police, I have 10,000 men that I can further train and get them ready and these are people that know the entire community, the nooks and crannies.”
- “I am waiting for it,” the governor stressed, adding that men of the neighbourhood watch, if empowered to bear assault rifles, will surpass expectations.
- He said, ‘’Already, they provide intelligence at our state security meetings and you can imagine what happens if that is turned around to a proper security agency.’’
Recommended reading: Lagos Assembly calls for constitutional amendment for state police amid security crisis
More to follow…