Emmanuel Thomas I Friday, July 14, 2017
IKORODU, Lagos, Nigeria – It is now 51 days since 6 students were kidnapped from Lagos Model College, Igbonla in Epe, Lagos State. For parents of the students, it is simply 47 days of sleepless night, tears and deprivation.
The pupils were kidnapped in the early hours of Thursday, May 25, 2017. For the Lagos State Government, led by Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who has in the last two years created for himself the slogan of a performing governor, it has been 51 days of no action.
It is not to say that he has shown no concern. But concern without tangible results to many is simply 51 days of no action. For many, the kidnap of the students only portrays Governor Ambode as a noise maker without action putting into consideration the billions so far invested in security of Lagos State.
In February 2016, Ambode, the Chief Security Officer of Lagos State donated equipment he said was worth N4.8 billion to the Lagos State Police Command. The equipment included three helicopters, gunboats, patrol vehicles, powerbikes, bullet proof vests and other items.
We gathered that the helicopters were equipped with special search light for night operation. By December 31, 2016, the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF was in receipt of revenue totaling N6, 189, 034, 155. It is left with a surplus/deficit of N308, 151, 999 by December 2016.
But unfortunately, these investment in security has yielded no result with Lagos now topping the list of states with the highest number of kidnapping and other crime.
With the increasing rate of crime, it appears that the governor has either forgotten that he remains the chief security officer of Lagos or has totally abdicated his responsibility.
Speaking at a function with traditional rulers following recent killings by the Badoo Cult group in Ikorodu, Governor Ambode said, “This is a good opportunity for me to say this, since the majority of our traditional rulers are here. We just want to pass a message to say that we need to come together and ensure that we speak to all our Baales in the communities that we are having issues and also in Ikorodu to say that we must speak to ourselves.
“We have intelligence here that some of these things are coming from within and our Kabiyesis and Obas need to do something as quickly as possible to arrest this decadence that we have here.
“As far as the Badoo case is concerned, I don’t believe that it has anything to do with a disappearing ghost. I don’t also believe that the rituals can be taking place, without some people not being behind it.
“So, I challenge all our Kabiyesis and all our traditional rulers and Baales, we must arrest this situation as quickly as possible and show that traditional value that we have always been known for and then we would continue to support you,” the performing governor said in the wake of public outcry.
We believe the governor owe it a dury to secure lives of those who voted for him. We learnt that even in the face of recent arrest of Badoo cultists, the people of aIkorodu still sleep with one eye open.
We applaud Governor Ambode for his firm stand against the Baale of Shangisha, when he suspended him for just faking his kidnapp. We believe that the security situation in Ikorodu, where dozens of families have lost their lives deserve a more drastic action, even as we ask, Ambode, where are the 6 pupils kidnapped from Lagos Model College, Igbonla.
