When an army captain and four policemen were brutally murdered in Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb, on April 9, while rescuing some kidnapped victims, the tragedy not only ricocheted to their families, friends and neighbours, it also hit Lagos’ pride as a leading state in Nigeria that aspires to become Africa’s third largest economy.
Once again, some Niger Delta militants bombarded the Ishawo community in the Ikorodu area of the state, killing one Mohammed, a Nigerian Army officer, four policemen and other civilians. This is a bad omen. When criminals mow down an Army captain and police officers easily, it evokes a sense of chaos and fear in the public.
Mohammed’s team was called upon to provide support for the distressed police team, which had been overwhelmed by the militants. This, the team did successfully, rescuing nine people, including an infant. But they were ambushed on their way back from the operation. The Army said, “During the clearance of the ambush, unfortunately four policemen lost their lives, while the Army officer who led the operation sustained gunshot wounds and died on the way to the hospital.” This is tragic.
However, the attacks were not surprising. At the height of the terror campaign in Ikorodu and Arepo in Ogun State last year, it took a joint military operation by the Nigerian Air Force and the Navy to dislodge the militants from the creeks. Peace returned to the communities temporarily, but now the militants are back in full force. Last month, residents of Ishawo community protested to the Lagos State authorities of the threats to their lives and property, expecting the government to come to their aid. But it was a futile plea.
As the events of Sunday showed, the residents of this community are now living at the mercy of the militants, who relocated from the Niger Delta region and specialise in kidnapping people for ransom and pipeline vandalism. For some time, the security trend in Ikorodu and Arepo has been horrible. In 2015, militants ambushed and murdered 10 State Security Service operatives in Arepo. Audaciously, they went away with their corpses. Although the police have deployed a special force to the area after the latest killings, residents are reportedly fleeing to other parts of the state. This siege by militants should not be allowed to continue under any guise.
As a result of militant activities, robbery and kidnapping are rampant in Ikorodu. In March 2016, militants invaded the Babington Junior Seminary School in Ikorodu and abducted three pupils. It took the efforts of a special anti-kidnapping squad from Abuja to rescue them. In January, militants also abducted eight pupils and two staff members of the Turkish International College, Isheri, on the border between Ogun and Lagos states. Later in February, militants invaded the Isheri North Estate, killed three security guards and abducted the secretary of the residents’ association. In broad daylight, they robbed banks in Ikorodu, FESTAC, Lekki and Agbara, making away with millions of naira.
We are worried that Ikorodu is increasinglybeing blighted by violence. It is indeed disturbing that the government does not smell the coffee about the serial security breaches in the area. Two questions linger: why has a part of the state been taken over by bandits and what can be done about it?
For its own good, Lagos State should wake up to the reality of having the Niger Delta bandits in its midst and fashion a coherent response to the horrific security threat. The Boko Haram insurgency, which, according to Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, has now claimed over 100,000 lives and caused 2.1 million internally-displaced persons in the North-East, could have been mitigated with an early action. But the government dilly-dallied and allowed the Islamists to gain an upper hand to the extent that during the erstwhile Goodluck Jonathan administration, they annexed 20 LGAs in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
There is an urgent need for a focused crackdown on these violent gangs. The starting point is for the Akinwunmi Ambode government to raise a marine force to combat terrorists and hardcore criminals in the state. There is scientific evidence that a focus on hotspots and “hot people” can prevent or reduce violence. In the short term, the military, the police, the SSS and civil defence corps should be detailed to put the militants in check. The Air Force should recommence its aerial operations, while the Navy should flush the renegades out of the creeks. The Nigerian Army and the police should gather and utilise intelligence about the unwholesome activities of the militants.
The situation in the troubled area should be quickly brought under control. It is an ominous sign that the Lagos anti-crime scheme is threatened. Ambode should not wait endlessly for forces from Abuja before taking charge of his own territory. Through the state’s Security Trust Fund, he has upgraded police operations in several parts of the state by providing funds, equipment and assistance. He should push this same sustainable model in Ikorodu and other parts of the state where insecurity is making life miserable for the people and businesses.
Ultimately, however, Nigeria has to take a second look at its security architecture. For one, security, which is being controlled by the Federal Government, is too far away from the grass roots. Being a federal system, this ought not to be so. Policing should be devolved to the constituent units, as is the practice in other federations.
