• Extra vigilance is required to identify and flush out foreign criminals
It is quite worrisome that foreigners from neighbouring countries and criminals from other parts of Nigeria hiding from law enforcement agencies are among those said to be creating the rising number of illegal settlements recently noticed in some riverine communities of Lagos State. A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Safe Habitat, has intimated the Lagos State Government about this development, urging that immediate steps be taken to dislodge the illegal occupants and destroy the shanties in the interest of public safety. The CSO noted that the problem is particularly acute in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area where illegal riverine communities provide a base for criminal elements to launch attacks on residents of Lekki, Ikoyi and Victoria Island, among others. Surely, this is not a report that the Lagos State government can treat with levity given the security threat that religious extremism and other forms of terrorism constitute for every part of the country today. Lagos should be particularly extra vigilant because as Nigeria’s industrial, financial and commercial nerve-centre, she will be an attractive target for anyone seeking to cripple the country economically and throw her off balance psychologically.
Luckily, the Akinwumi Ambode administration has demonstrated its commitment to security as a cardinal priority. Last year, the administration took decisive action to rid Ikoyi and Victoria Island of such illegal settlements. That is the kind of immediacy that this new alert on illegal riverine settlements demands. Beyond this, the state should comprehensively map out the riverine areas with a view to identifying and eliminating black spots as well as more effectively policing the waterways on a sustained basis. The N4.765 billion which the administration invested in providing sophisticated equipment to strengthen the Lagos State Police Command and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in November 2015 should surely have strengthened the capacity of the security agencies to respond to unanticipated situations. The three new helicopters and two gunboats in particular will facilitate the monitoring of riverine communities from the sky as well as thwarting criminality on the water. Future investment in equipment for the police ought to take into account the imperative of more effective policing of vulnerable riverine communities in the overall interest of the state.
This alert by Safe Habitat brings to the fore, once again, the vexed issue of state police. It has become an urgent imperative. The current unitary policing structure is palpably unsuited to a complex, plural polity like ours. Decentralisation of policing through state police will enhance efficiency. It will also boost effectiveness by ensuring that police officers have an intimate knowledge of the communities in which they operate. The fear of abuse by state chief executives can also not be dismissed with a wave of the hand. But we surely have constitutional experts with sufficient ingenuity to devise inbuilt checks against abuse and impunity in this regard. If we do not take the first step, we will not be able to identify lapses and loopholes and think of ways to eliminate them.
Equally critical is the issue of daily mass influx of people into Lagos, because of her perceived relative prosperity and the socio-economic aridity of most other states in the country. In a constitutional democracy that guarantees freedom of movement, there is little that Lagos can do about this. However, constitutional reforms to enable states control and benefit from resources within their jurisdiction, thus creating alternative thriving centres across the country apart from Lagos must be put on the front burner. And it is unrealistic to continue to run away from the fact that Lagos State deserves to be given a special status reflecting the huge economic and social responsibilities she bears on behalf of the country. We applaud the patriotism and sense of responsibility of Safe Habit and commend this example to all.