24th March, 2012
Security agencies in Lagos State may soon clamp down on illegal aliens in the tate just as the State Police Command strategises on the best way to check the current influx of the aliens into such high row areas of the State like Ikoyi and Victoria Island.
The State Police Commissioner, Mr Umar Manko who gave hint of the clampdown while briefing Government House Correspondents on the outcome of the State Security Council Meeting chaired by Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) at Lagos House, Marina midweek said the security agencies are meanwhile monitoring the influx of the illegal aliens.
Mr Umar Manko added that for those who are not Nigerians the security agencies will take action in accordance with Nigerian laws.
He noted that the security agencies including the Immigrations are collaborating on this and urged the citizens to continue to remain vigilant and be law abiding, adding that they should also avail themselves of the Emergency toll free numbers, 767 or 112 when in any distress situation and to pass useful information to security agencies.
On how the police intend to maintain security in the state, despite the banning of checkpoints, the Police Commissioner said what the Inspector General of Police directed was not that there should not be Police presence on the roads but that Police should remove barriers on the road.
He explained that barriers are different from not finding police on the roads, adding that the barriers which have been removed and remains removed have been replaced by motorized patrols and foot patrols.
On efforts to curb the recklessness of okada riders in the state, Mr Manko said any close observance of the activities of the State Police Command along the Ikeja axis in the last four to five days will show that the Police have been impounding most of the motorcycles that flout the law.
He said the Police Command has discovered of recent that the okada riders have been using them to commit crimes, stressing that this is a situation which the state will not tolerate.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Commandant of the Airforce Base, Ikeja, Air Commodore Tony Omenyi, said following the abuse of Nigeria Airforce stickers, the use of the stickers have been banned.
He said from now on, the Police has been empowered to remove the Airforce car stickers on any car that it is affixed on, adding that all those who have it on their cars should remove them immediately.
“So, I am appealing to Lagosians to avoid confrontation with the military and remove Airforce stickers from their cars. And this affects Airforce personnel too. Nobody is allowed to have Airforce stickers on their cars,” he added.
Also speaking on the same issue, the Nigerian Army Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Pat Aken gave an update on the ban by the Army on the use of its stickers, saying the ban is not restricted to stickers but anything that creates a false impression of belonging to the force.
“Anything that creates the impression that one belongs to the Army is banned even for serving personnel. Lagosians should note that anybody parading himself with a sticker is a fraud and would be sanctioned accordingly,” the Army Chief reiterated.
Also present during the briefing were State Director of the State Security Service, Mr Achu Olayi, Navy Commodore Mio Njoku and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, Major Tunde Panox (retd).