Be Security Conscious, SSS Boss Tells Nigerians

The Lagos State Director of the State Security Service, Mr. Achu Ben Olayi, has warned Nigerians to be sensitive to happenings around them especially at this period serious security challenges in the country.

Olayi stated this when he led a delegation of officers of the SSS to the corporate headquarters of the Independent Communications Network Limited (ICNL), publishers of TheNEWS and P.M.NEWS Wednesday.

The SSS Director disclosed that most of crimes against people in the country have been traced to insider collaboration like house-helps.

He stressed that these house-helps give out information to robbers and kidnappers.

“There are basic things one needs to know about security. For example, the simple question I ask people is how much they know about their house-helps.

“The greatest threats to families are their house-helps.

“There is a syndicate now which organise these people, train them very well and then they go into your houses, stay there and while you are out, they supply all the details to that syndicate.

“Tomorrow, while you are going to work, they just pick you along a particular point and then assess how much you can pay as ransom.

“These are simple things we need to know if we really need to address the security situation in the country,” he cautioned.

He also warned Nigerians against allowing water vendors to take water into their houses as it affords some of them the opportunity to understand their houses.

He also commended the Lagos State Government for its maintenance of the Security Trust Fund, calling the state a model and stressing that this was why crime rate has reduced in the State.

Olayi also denied the belief that the SSS was more interested in protecting political office holders, claiming that the agency was created to protect the people of the country even though it also protect some people within the country and those visiting the country.

Responding, the Managing Director of ICNL, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, explained that the current security situation in the country was the direct consequence of system failure as well as the lack of strict adherence to the rule of law by public and political office holders.

He said Nigerians were aware that a lot of things were missing in the country, adding that until these were solved, the security situation would not be curtailed.

According to him, the Boko Haram sect and criminals in the country are fighting because there are certain fundamental issues in the country that need to be resolved.

He said the youths were aware of the massive corruption going on in government and other sectors of the country, stressing that these youths do not see suspects actually prosecuted and jailed, instead, those often jailed are the petty criminals.

“If I am the minister and steal money, I should be made to face the same punishment with somebody who used his guns to steal.

“People should begin to see that even if I am the president or the son of the president, I can be prosecuted if I do anything wrong.

“If we can follow the rule of law faithfully, 80 percent of our problems would be solved.

“People see impunity everywhere and nothing is happening to those who have been accused,” Onanuga said.

—Erimosele Ebhomele