By Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
October 28, 2015 – The Lagos State Government has called on religious organisations to be security conscious and adopt security measures to forestall any attacks on their places of worship.
Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Lateef AbdulHakeem made the call against recent attacks on places of worship by the radical Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
The Commissioner said all churches and mosques must urgently procure metal detectors and invest in the employment and training of security personnel to safeguard the lives of people who come to worship.
He urged religious leaders to encourage their followers to live in peaceful coexistence in order to foster a united front against societal ills such as insecurity.
The commissioner who spoke during a meeting with leaders of religions organisation restated Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s readiness to partner with religious leaders by making the pulpit an extension of government’s office in preaching spiritual development which will help in fighting corruption.
He said that government will soon release guidelines for places of worship with a view to developing a database and set standards aimed at providing adequate security for worshipers.