Lagos community meets as insecurity heightens

Worried by the rising cases of stealing, robberies and other criminal acts in Shitta, Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State, the residents have convened a security summit to address the problems.Stakeholders, who converged on Rabiatu Thompson Crescent, said the discussion was to find a solution since they were convinced that deploying security operatives in the nooks and crannies of the area could be counter-productive.Present at the summit with the theme, Rising to current challenge of security in the community, were the Chairman, Surulere Local Government, Mr. Tajudeen Ajide; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Tunde Sogbulo; Rev. Yomi Kasali; the convener, Mr. Eweseye Akintunde, and other stakeholders.Kasali said there was the belief that criminals and the police were always working together, which made it difficult for the police to apprehend them.He recommended the setting up of a security fund to foster public-private participation in community policing.Kasali said, It is time for us to come together and X-ray the root causes of insecurity in our land.The causes are not far-fetched: a country where poverty is prevalent and a few people live in opulence, the people will certainly be motivated to carry out unwholesome activities.Ajide lamented that the crime rate in Surulere, particulary in Shitta area, had become worrisome.He said if the police were given enough support, they would be able to perform their duties efficiently. We must all rise up to fight crime and criminality. They are detrimental to our progress, he said.The council boss, however, described Shitta as one of the most dangerous areas in Lagos.He said it is a place where guns were openly displayed as if it is something to be proud of.He urged the police to consider the area as a high-risk community, vowing that he would not tolerate the situation any longer.But the Deputy Commissioner of Police, clarified that Surulere was not as black as it is painted.He advocated good communication between the people and the police, saying the latter were not spirits.Sogbulo urged the council to empower the youth and assign responsibilities to them to fully engage them in something productive.Buying machine guns and sophisticated weapons cannot solve crimes. Empowerment remains key to solving crimes, he said.On his part, Akintunde said the summit was organised to enable the stakeholders to interract with the relevant authorities as a means of solving the security breaches in the area.
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