By Kazeem Ugbodaga.
The Lagos State government will on Friday hand over to the police, three patrol helicopters, 31 Armoured Personnel Carriers, APCs and other security equipment bought to enhance the policing of the state.
Other equipment to be handed over are two patrol boats, 100 motorcycles, 13 BMW power bikes, 60 Ford salon cars, 55 Ford Rangers, 40 Toyota salon cars, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser SUVs as well as police uniforms and other kits.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari, being expected to do the presentation will be absent. A statement today said the president will leave Nigeria Thursday for Malta to attend the Commonwealth Summit and then France, to attend the UN Summit on Climate Change.
Lagos had not envisaged the itinerary of the president.
A statement from the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, the Lagos State Government had said Buhari will be formally welcome to the state on November 27 at a ceremony that will mark the rebranding and repositioning of the Lagos Rapid Response Squad (RRS).
Ayorinde said Friday’s ceremony would underscore the seriousness of the Lagos State Government in ensuring the security of lives and property, saying: “With these security equipment, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has demonstrated his firm commitment and ability to safeguard the lives and property of every Lagosian.
“The government is convinced this gesture will further boost the morale and capacity of the Police, RRS and other security agencies in the state. It is an attestation to the efficacy of the state’s Security Trust Fund and we believe that this will send a clear signal that criminals and armed robbers no longer have hiding place in the state as government will spare no effort in ridding the state of every form of criminality,” he said.
The statement added that the deployment of the security gadgets would further complement the efforts of the State Government in making the state a mega city that is working for all and sundry. “It is noteworthy that the Lagos State Government has stepped up its enforcement of traffic laws and declared zero tolerance on potholes on the roads, a decision that has brought to 282 the number of roads so far rehabilitated in the past five months while another set of 189 roads has been marked for repairs before the end of the year,” he said.
These, Ayorinde noted, have not only improved the free flow of traffic in the state but have equally reduced the incidence of robberies in traffic.
The release urged residents to continue to support the government by abiding by the Lagos State Traffic Law, which forbids, among others, street trading, plying BRT lane by private and commercial vehicles and also restrict commercial motorcycles on the highways.