Armed robbers take over Lagos waterways as police falter with only 2 speedboats.
BY CHIOMA IGBOKWE
In 2011, while receiving six patrol gun boats from the Lagos State government, Yakubu Alkali, then Commissioner of Police, said that the boats would be deployed to Marina, Apapa, Ijora, Atlas Cove, Lekki Phases 1 and 2, Ibafon, Epe, and Badagry.
In his words: “It is only hoodlums who want to commit suicide that will dare take on the Marine Police. These gun boats are not only high-tech, they are fast, highly maneuverable and deadly; faster and deadlier than anything the hoodlums can ever boast of.”
The reverse seems to be the case today as Saturday Sun findings revealed that policemen will be embarking on suicide mission if they dare fight the new wave of bank robberies through the water ways.
When Saturday Sun reporter visited the marine police jetty on Awolowo road at Ikoyi in Lagos, it was gathered that only two out of the 11 speedboats being used by the command are functional. The strongest speed boat in their fleet as at press time was a100-horse-power engine and cannot race in the quickest time for rescue mission.
Most of the gunboats could only be used for surveillance and inspection as they were too heavy to speed, thereby hampering any rescue or combat mission.
According to a senior police officer who spoke extensively with Saturday Sun on condition on of anonymity revealed that the marine command has enough workforce to counter any attack within its territory. “The major challenge is that they do not have efficient gunboats that will withstand the strong waves. The recent Festac robbery incident, by the time we learnt about it, it will take close to an hour to get to the point of their entry. Assuming we even succeeded in getting there on time, it would have been suicidal as two boats cannot be enough to counter those robbers who were not less than 40. We are ready to help Lagos state put an end to the reign of those new sets of daring armed robbers. We appeal to the Federal and Lagos State Governments for new speedboats. I was not mandated officially to speak to the press on this but I speak the mind of the police,’’ the senior officer said.
He noted that the Marine police in Lagos had been neglected in the past because there weren’t much of criminal activities going on within Lagos territory. “It is worthy to note that few years ago, the police was able to reduce to its barest minimum the cases of bank robberies within the city. When Godogodo and several gangs were arrested no one knew that some of these pipeline vandals will suddenly switch over to bank robbery and kidnapping. The only solution at the moment is for the police to guard all their possible entry points. Like I said earlier, if we have the correct equipment, we will even go over to that notorious island and send them packing. Doing it now is simply suicidal”, he added.
All efforts to get a response from the Marine police command Lagos failed as the reporter was told that the command does not have a spokesman and all questions should be channeled to the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olabisi Kolawole.
She was not also available as at press time as her phone rang repeatedly without any answer.
However sometime in July 2015, the immediate past Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, a Commissioner of Police, reportedly said that all the unit’s broken down boats would be repaired.
He also said efforts were on to deploy new boats to the Lagos command of the force. “This is to enable the unit’s officers and men meet the challenges of crime, especially the ones posed by the recent robbery attacks in the area. We are re-strategizing the marine police operation to check criminal activities using the inland waterways,” Ojukwu said while responding to bank robberies in an area close to the creeks in Ikorodu. Lagos State has witnessed several robbery attacks on banks in 2015 and the suspected robbers escaping through the use of speedboats.
Military to the rescue
Further investigation by Saturday Sun shows that security personnel drawn from the Army, Navy and Police have been recently deployed to strategic points in Lagos that are prone to robbery attack. At the Ikorodu axis, some of the jetties have been shut down while heavily armed security men patrol the area 24 hours.
A reliable source in Ikorodu assured that the security setting on ground can withstand any type of attack. “There is a synergy and you can observe now. We are not joking this time around. We have cordoned them off, its either they relocate or die of hunger inside the creeks. We do not intend to move into the bush because of the difficult terrain. Most of those criminals can swim with ease which is an advantage. We prefer to wait for them. It is the pressure that was applied over here that made them to change direction. They know that if they try Ikorodu again, it will be a suicide mission. No one knew that they will dare to invade another area”, a security source noted. At the Amuwo Odofin local government area, security personnel and Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) can be seen strategically positioned.
When contacted, the Director Navy Information (DINFO), Commodore Aliyu Kabiru said, “The NN is constitutionally responsible in defending the nation’s territorial integrity by sea. Thus, the Navy operates in the open seas. However, due to security challenges in some parts of the country, the Nigerian Navy has been collaborating with sister security agencies in checking criminalities in the nation. The marine police on the other hand are charged with maintaining security in the inland waters.”
culled from The Sun.
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