The police did great in rescuing the three girls kidnapped from the Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School in Ikorodu recently, why have they not responded in this same fashion to cases in FESTAC and environ, where at the last count about ten businessmen have been kidnapped in the last couple of months?
First, I want to debunk the claim that we have like ten abducted cases. That is not right and this is what we’re trying to let people know, you don’t blow things out of proportion. There is no point in doing that because it concerns lives and property. Again we don’t like to send out panic messages because it’s also not healthy for our society. But as you have said concerning the issue of FESTAC, I want to assure the public that Lagos remains one of the most secure places in Nigeria today. But I can also tell you authoritatively that from all indications, being a very cosmopolitan area, there is no way we would not have one or two of the share of what is ‘reigning’ in the country now. You’ll agree with me that if Lagos as a cosmopolitan city is just having one or two cases, then it doesn’t really mean that it is on the rise.
And concerning what you said about the swift and unprecedented feat of moving in and rescuing those three girls, it simply sends the signal that the Lagos Police Command is not sleepy. That we’re combatant and that we’re ever ready to fight crime and criminality. However, I’m aware of the cases of Chief Francis Umeh and Cosmas Ojukwu…
(Reporter cuts in) There is also the case of Elias Ukachukwu?
As we speak, Elias Ukachukwu is back home with his family.
Was he rescued by the police or his family paid a ransom?
We don’t have any evidence of ransom payment. However, I will like to put it on record that it was the hot pursuit by the police and the tab that we placed on the abductors that made them release him. Therefore, if the police could have done what they did in the case of the Ikorodu girls and also done the same to get Elias Ukachukwu back home, then I think the public should be assured that the police is working hard to get these other people back to their families. And it is a thing that we want the public to support by giving us information, and by partnering with us, because we are not spirits. We are human beings. Even if you go abroad, which our people are quick to cite as example, they work on information and the public is always quick to partner with them to achieve. There is no rocket science about it. So we want information from the public. But as for the criminals, we’re still on the look-out for them; we have not abandoned the cases of these kidnapped Nigerians. The police, as I speak with you, is investigating the cases. Rescue operation is also ongoing and it’s a matter of time and active partnership between the members of the public and the police.
Part of the argument the public has held onto is that the police only respond with swiftness when the case is high profile and receives huge media hype and sensational headlines; what do you say to this?
Are you saying the case of Chief Umeh was not reported? Are you saying the other cases were not reported in the media? I don’t want the public to have a feeling that the police are not doing anything. Maybe if you are able to reach these victims’ family members, they would be able to tell you what the police is doing and how we have been working closely with them. I don’t want to be the one to tell you the things we’ve been doing, otherwise it will sound as if I’m blowing our trumpet. I just know that we have not abandoned these cases. We are on it and we will achieve on it. But we still need the partnership from the public by giving information, by also supporting our activities. When situations like this happen, people should be able to open up, including family members, friends, neighbours and people that they do business with. On our own, we have been adducing all the facts and evidences we have and we’re so sure that we will get them back home soon.
What is the police doing to ensure this kind of things don’t happen more regularly. Is there any kind of measure or protection that you’re putting in place to protect people who may be targets?
Every week, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State reviews operational strategies of Lagos State Police Command. And what does that suggest? It means we sit on a round table to review criminal acts and work towards forestalling reoccurrences. We also think ahead. If this has happened, this might also want to happen. And then we put up our operational strategies all around such places. I want us to be optimistic. Although for cosmopolitan areas, you are sure that there will be crime. There is no environment or society that is totally free of crime; the only thing we can do is bring it to the barest minimum, which is what we’re doing in the Lagos State Command. So I want us to be optimistic. We should not be condemning the force; if we have information, we should partner with police and let’s give them a chance.
A certain Evans is being bandied as the kingpin behind this spate of kidnapping; how true is this and do the police have a lead on him?
Whoever is connected, whoever is behind it, be rest assured that the police will get them. But it is not going to be of any good for us to open up and throw our investigation into the open. I don’t even think it will be healthy for those people in custody. So why don’t we just leave the police to do their investigation discretely; and then when we achieve, we would reel out to you how we got them, the part which we think is necessary for you to know.