Ambode reads riot act to hoodlums

At a Town Hall meeting yesterday, Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode read the riot act to hoodlums to steer clear of the state or face the consequences.

The governor, who stated this at his Second Quarterly Town Hall Meeting with Lagosians, which took place at City Hall, on the Island, said government had invested massively to reinvigorate the state security infrastructure to bring it to a level comparable to what obtains in other modern city-states.

Ambode told residents that the crime rate has been reduced by 65 per cent.

“In the last quarter we invested massively to reenergise and reinvigorate the state security infrastructure to bring it to a level comparable to what obtains in other modern city states.

“I am happy to report that our state is a lot safer today as statistics show that crime rate reduced by 65 per cent during the last quarter compared to 2014.”

The governor,  who highlighted major achievements recorded by his administration in the last quarter like the Lagos light up project, added that,” crime thrives best in darkness. In response to this, we initiated the Light up Lagos” project to light up our major roads, highways and inner roads.”

Speaking  on the threat  constituted by hoodlums in the state, Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said his command sanitised Lagos Island known  for sundry crimes  and criminality.

The commissioner vowed that the practice whereby suspected criminals  enjoy protection under whatever guise  will soon become  a thing of the past, saying it is a new dawn in Lagos.

He said hoodlums on the Island were in the habit of committing crimes after which they run into hiding in some of the houses.

Owoseni said once the  criminals run inside such houses, their parents would immediately lock gates to enable them escape police arrest.

“I saw this thing by myself yesterday, they would leave the gate open, these boys would run in there and by the time police get there, they would shut the gates.

“Even yesterday, they saw me as I was entering, just to go and talk to them about community partnership with the police, everybody shut their doors. They saw me coming. They don’t want to talk to me. This should not continue.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday staged a protest in Lagos accusing the state government of refusing to pay its debt to the body.

In a swift reaction, the state government described the claim as unfounded and fraudulent.

South-West Chairman of NUPENG, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo alleged that the N224 million was for payment for the supply of diesel and kerosene to the state government for execution of direct labour projects in Ojodu between October 2014 and May 2015.

Korodo threatened that the association will embark on a protest with over 1,000 tankers, and that Lagosians will experience fuel scarcity if government did not grant the request for the money.

Explaining its own side of the story  yesterday, the state government said it would not succumb to NUPENG’s blackmail into paying a questionable N224 million debt.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said though government was not against peaceful protest by aggrieved citizens, it would not be stampeded into taking any action without strictly following due process and the rule of law.

Ayorinde said the transaction took place between an independent marketer and the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) before this present government assumed office. He said the company wrote the government about the transaction, and government replied that it wanted to investigate the claim.

“The investigation proved that the claim by the company was fraudulent but while investigation was still ongoing, the company went to NUPENG, and the association agreed to demonstrate on behalf of the company.

“Our position is that the Lagos State Government cannot be stampeded or blackmailed into making payments that have not been verified for which investigation is still ongoing.”

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