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In this interview with Deji Lambo, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, gives an insight into the measures in place to keep the commercial capital of Nigeria safe from criminal elements
The security affairs of Lagos State have been under your direct supervision since last year, what significant changes have you introduced to improve the security situation of the state since you took charge as the Commissioner of Police?
I assumed duty in Lagos on December 14, 2023, as the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command. Since my assumption, I have made remarkable changes in the security architecture of the state, knowing that there are security challenges ranging from traffic and ‘One Chance’ robbery, cultism, area boy menace and other related crimes that are not of high magnitude.
I have to put measures in place; rejig the security architecture, sensitise and mobilise my officers and men to keep the security architecture on during the day and night. Divisional Police Officers and Area Commanders were directed to be on their toes and ensure that, both day and night, police presence is visible and accessible at all nooks and crannies of the state are efficiently policed.
Having realised that some areas like Ajegunle, Alimosho, and all the suburbs of Lagos are relatively crime-prone, I created tactical teams to tackle all the pockets of crime in those areas. I can confidently say that all those minor disturbances have been put in check. We have been able to fight cultism to a standstill as their activities have drastically reduced in the state.
We noticed that the number of miscreants was on the increase and their presence on the streets, bridge and under the bridge, was becoming a serious menace to the security and peace in the state, I mobilised the men and we commenced calculated and targeted raids at areas that these miscreants are always hibernating and I can tell you that we have been able to remove all of them from the public space that has been very calm now. Within the space of six months, we have been able to get 3000 miscreants raided from black spots and they have been remanded at correctional centres in the state.
A few days ago, an attack on the Ipaja Police Station by motorcyclists was repelled by policemen. The motorcyclists were said to be protesting against the enforcement of the ban against their operations in the area and two motorcyclists were killed during the incident and several of them were arrested. Could there have been other means to explore to avoid needless deaths, especially with the public’s perception of police brutality?
We have always operated in a manner that will not cause harm or death to any Nigerian. But in the case of Ipaja Division, these motorcycle operators numbering over 100, gathered with offensive weapons and some deadly objects, to set the station ablaze and take the lives of some of our policemen who are working very hard to defend the state and country. And by the time they came, some of them, who were armed with guns, were even firing at the police station and minimal force which involved the spraying of teargas was used to disperse them but some remained adamant and they kept surging ahead to attack the station and probably cart away arms and injure some of our policemen.
In the process, I think two of the motorcyclists were fatally injured and we were able to resist their attempt to enter the station and cause any havoc. At the end of the day, the station remained. We also went further to apprehend 200 of their motorcycles and made sure that they were kept from completely causing any havoc to the police station. So, we used minimal force and never wanted a situation that would cause harm or injury to anybody. But in a situation where the lives of policemen were visibly in danger, we had to react and save our station and our arms and ammunition, and save the lives of our policemen.
Has the command charged the arrested motorcyclists in court?
Yes, we arrested about 22 motorcyclists and they have all been charged in court.
Since the ban enforcement is a continuing exercise, how will the police ensure that such enforcement won’t degenerate into a crisis again in the area and other areas of the state in future?
=We have always ensured that the enforcement of the ban on motorcycle operations in the state does not degenerate into a crisis. We have been having discussions with some of the leaders of the motorcyclists to sensitise them towards adhering strictly to areas where the government has ordered that motorcycles should not operate. Also, at various meetings at the command and divisional levels, we also had meetings with them and they know where not to operate but some of them are so adamant and they believe that they are above the law and that they can operate where the government had told them not to operate. We are not in a lawless society; passing the law restricting motorcycle operations is for the benefit of everybody and all of them should key into this arrangement and make sure that the enforcement is made easy. We don’t have any intention of harming anybody, but the law as it has been passed must be enforced.
What are the expectations of the police command from citizens who intend to express their grievances through a protest in the state?
We have always said that if anybody desires to protest, once the protest isn’t violent and will be peaceful, the police will be there to assist them to make sure that the protest is not hijacked by hoodlums. So, every Nigerian have the right to protest, but the protest must be peaceful, it must not hinder or impede vehicular movements as doing so will prevent others from going about their lawful duties. Once we are assured that that is how the protest would be like, we give support in terms of providing some men to follow the protesters from whatever point they want to cover for the period of their protest.
Sometime in February 2024, during the NLC protests supported by some people in the state, policemen were captured in a video that went viral distributing bottled water and snacks to the protesters, what inspired the move?
What inspired the move is the determination to make sure that the protest is itch-free and devoid of violence. Before the protest started, we had a series of meetings with the NLC, and we both agreed that it would be peaceful and all through, it started and ended peacefully. Along the line, I felt the protesters were getting tired after the long walk, and I just deemed it fit to get water and biscuits and rolled them out to the protesters and policemen for them to take and cool off after the long trek.
By the time we got to our destination, nobody had fallen, and everyone was still strong, and the House addressed the protesters and everybody dispersed to their various destinations. I never knew the act would go viral, I felt it was just a normal thing to do and I didn’t know it was going to be applauded by Nigerians. Anything we have to do to ensure that there is peace; we should not hesitate to do it and we were able to achieve that lasting peace during the protest.
Recently, the command smashed a syndicate trading human body parts for money in Lagos State. How was this breakthrough possible and what do Lagosians need to be aware of to not fall victim to such criminal elements in the state?
We arrested them through our enhanced intelligence network. One of the things I was able to achieve when I came in was the strategy of community engagement. When you engage the community in policing, you will solve all the problems in that community because you already have credible facts about where these criminals hibernate and how you can get them. That was what has been working for us; through our intelligence network, we got them arrested.
They were not arrested at once; we picked them up at different times. My advice to Nigerians and Lagosians is that they should avoid entering vehicles that they don’t know anything about. Especially vehicles with strangers; some of these people, when they drive their cars, because they are in a hurry to get to work on time, would just enter any vehicle. They should be cautious of vehicles they enter and they should not just enter any vehicle that belongs to somebody that they did not know.
At the same time, if they are travelling a long distance, they should go to the park and pick a vehicle that is properly registered, they should not just enter a vehicle by the roadside, as it is dangerous. Most of these victims of kidnapping and ritualism and are picked by the roadside in the guise that they are taking them to their destinations, whereas along the line, they will detour and take a different direction. We should be cautious of the kind of vehicles we enter any time any day as these people are disguised in many forms and once you fall into their trap, it is always very difficult to get out because they will dispossess you of all that is on you for you to reach out to your family members and friends.
What exactly is the command trying to communicate through the fitness wall for security and safety it recently embarked on in the state?
The idea is to come out and tell Lagosians that we are committed to ensuring that Lagos is safe and secured. And to tell Lagosians that we are strong and healthy to perform our duties 24 hours and that we are committed to continue to do our work until we succeed in removing all forms of crime and criminalities in the state. At the same time, we also want to let Lagosians know that we are ready and committed to fighting crime to a standstill and advise Lagosians to continue to support us by giving us credible information by saying something when they see it and making sure that all those bad boys hiding in their territory are smoked out. Where they cannot smoke them out by themselves, they should give us information, and we would come out to ensure that they are removed from that vicinity and taken to where they belong.
The act of bullying is prevalent in society and schools and some pupils have sustained injuries and some died due to this worrisome action perpetrated by their colleagues. Investigation into some of these cases is usually carried out by the police. Is there any step the police are taking to curtail this disturbing act in society?
So far, we have been having regular interfaces with school proprietors and school authorities to talk about security, safety and discipline. Also, the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, in his magnanimity has just created the School Protection Squad. The squad is to ensure that schools are protected from any form of attack by hoodlums or anybody. At the same time, they have also been offering assistance in terms of advising the school about discipline and about issues that can cause indiscipline in schools and advising youths or pupils to stay away from any acts of violence, acts of joining bad gangs, avoid drug abuse and related activities, advise pupils to exhibit good characters, avoid bullying, shouting, or the use of abusive languages on their colleagues, and encouraging them to show more of good attitude and pair together for a good purpose and not for the purpose that would destabilise the peace and progress of the school.
I believe this squad will go beyond their mandate to ensure that acts of bullying in schools become a thing of the past. Bullying is also in society and my advice is that when anybody experiences any case of serious bullying before it leads to other things, the person should quickly inform the law enforcement agencies to intervene so that the issue can be brought under control.
Any other thing you need Lagosians to be aware of?
What I want Lagosians to be aware of is to ensure that they are security conscious and get their vicinity properly illuminated, and assist the police with intelligence gathering so that we can carry out our activities to all the hideouts of criminal elements in the neighbourhood and dislodge their enterprises so that we can have absolute peace in our communities. Once they see anything that would disturb the peace of their area, they should not hesitate to tell the police even if they want to hide their identity. Let them give us information on the criminal hideouts and hide their identity; it would help a long way to ensure that our neighbourhoods are very safe. I also advise that they should stop investing in Ponzi schemes as many people fall victim to these schemes.
