Each Time You Sleep with Two Eyes Closed in Lagos, Thank Gov Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State is doing everything possible to make the security of life and property the centrepiece of his legacy, writes Shola Oyeyipo

It is not an accident that governments the world over consider the security of life and property their number one responsibility. This is because in an atmosphere of insecurity, no meaningful development – social, political and economic – can take place.

Unfortunately, the growing insecurity across Nigeria is a major cause for concern for all compatriots. Although it is a statement of fact that whatever security challenges being grappled with today didn’t start with the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, it is also true that the situation is not abating under him either.

In other words, the incidences of kidnapping are on an alarming upswing, and a poignant pointer to the disastrous and dire economic situation many have found themselves in.

However, Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous state, and the economic nerve centre has continued to be marked safe due largely to the state government’s proactive and prodigious investments in security architecture and gizmo, as well as her steadfast commitment to delivering a safer Lagos for the benefit of all.

Nigeria’s worsening economic situation, with the pervasive hunger and hopelessness, plumbing many further down the poverty line, has now led to an upsurge in the incidence of kidnapping for ransom, a new report published by SBM Intelligence has revealed.

SBM Intelligence is an Africa-focused, geopolitical research and strategic communications consulting firm that addresses the critical need for political, social, economic and market data, and big data analytics.

Between July 2023 and June 2024, the report, titled: “Grim Reaping: Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry – A 2024 Update”, revealed that 7,568 individuals were abducted in 1,130 incidents across Nigeria. 

Within the same period, the report stated that, “Kidnappers demanded at least the sum of N10, 995, 090, 000 (approximately $6, 871, 931) as ransom, but received N1,048,110,000, a mere 9.5% of the money demanded, indicating that kidnappers have become less targeted in their victimology.”

The North-western states of Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina have the highest numbers of incidents and victims of the 1,130 reported kidnapping cases.

Zamfara ranks highest with 132 incidents, 1,639 victims, and 146 civilian deaths. Kaduna had 113 incidents with 1,113 victims; while Katsina reported 119 incidents with 887 victims.

The report averred that the three states also have the highest number of civilian deaths, adding, “In the year under review in this report, kidnapping has become more lethal, with 1,056 people killed in 1,130 reported kidnap incidents. On average, someone is killed each time there is an attempted kidnap.”

The haunting dimension to this year’s kidnapping incidents in the North is the increase in mass abductions. From January to June, the report stated that there were 135 mass abduction incidents involving at least five victims per incident, with 3,277 people kidnapped and 125 killed.

For geo-political zones, the Southeast stands out for paying the highest ransoms, totalling N419.2 million out of the N645 million demanded, representing a 65% collection rate – the highest across the board.

The report added: “There is speculation that the kidnap figures from the Southeast might be underreported. However, sources indicated that sustained pressure from security forces on criminal and separatist groups like IPOB and its rival splinter factions had reduced their capacity to carry out such attacks.”

Curiously, in the period under review, Lagos, Nigeria’s most populous state with an estimated 24 million inhabitants, recorded only seven cases of kidnap, while Ekiti and Osun States recorded six cases each. Gombe brings up the rear with only one reported kidnap case while Jigawa, Bayelsa, and Kano have two, three, and four cases respectively.

As Nigeria’s economic nerve-centre, which also welcomes over 100,000 people from across the country daily, it is easy and pardonable to presume that Lagos would be porous and most attractive to perpetrators of kidnap for ransom, but the reverse is the case. Lagos is one of the safest states as revealed by the report.

Fairly, an incumbent is rewarded or pilloried for what happens on their watch. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu may not roll out the drums to celebrate this coveted acknowledgment of his strides in securing the lives and property of Lagosians, because of his belief that it is all in a day’s work, but it deserves copious mentions.

Over the past five years, Sanwo-Olu has proved that he is best placed to protect Lagosians from potential and real threats and keep the state moving forward.

He acknowledged early that meaningful development could not exist without comprehensive security, and that securing Lagos requires more than military power or siloed technology systems. It needs effective security solutions for incident prevention, emergency response, surveillance, evidence collection, and investment decisions. Therefore, ‘Security and Governance’ is one of the pillars of his T.H.E.M.E.S (Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century State; Entertainment and Tourism, Security and Governance) development agenda.

“We will make sure that we create the right environment in which security and safety of lives and property is guaranteed. Our ultimate goal would be to ensure that Lagos State remains one of the top destinations on the African continent to live, work, and invest in,” he said at the outset of his administration.

Thus far, Sanwo-Olu has been proactive and pragmatic in the handling of the state’s security, providing the required support for the police and other security agencies while donating security assets like communication gadgets, ballistic vests and helmets, and anti-riot water cannon vehicles.

He has also provided Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), patrol vehicles, and patrol motorcycles for use by the Lagos Command of the Nigeria Police Force. Additional men were equally recruited into the Neighbourhood Security Watch to complement the efforts of existing security personnel.

The Sanwo-Olu administration has also substantially supported the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), an interventionist agency established in 2007 as a public-private partnership organisation to raise funds and cater to the needs of security agents and agencies so that businesses and individuals could develop their potential and succeed in reaching their goals while also being able to engage in social events and other recreational activities in a secure environment.

His words: “This administration has been working closely with security agencies in the state in our firm resolve to raise the bar of governance, which includes ensuring a well-secured and safe environment for investment and other socio-economic activities to thrive.

“We strongly believe that investment in security must be prioritised because the security and welfare of the people remain the primary duty of any government,” the governor said.

In furtherance of this, the governor announced in January, 2024 that N7 billion would be raised in support of the agency to enhance the capabilities of the security agencies while pledging the provision of 300 vehicles to bolster the logistical operations of security operatives across the state.

Similarly, the state government is installing smart cameras connected to a Command and Control centre, where several points in the city are monitored in real-time. The command and control centre has direct lines to the Police emergency first responders, and fire and rescue service, among others.

From October 2022 to September 2023, the Lagos State Police Command reported notable milestones. According to Waheed Ayilara, the late former acting Commissioner of Police for Lagos State, out of 189 robbery incidents, 172 were thwarted, resulting in the arrest of 257 suspects. 175 cultists were also arrested and 108 of them were prosecuted with commensurate sentences handed out.

Instructively, for the fourth consecutive year, Lagos recorded no armed robbery attack against any financial institution in the state. This is the longest period in which no bank has been attacked in the state over the last two decades.

“Our efforts have paid off as Lagos State still retains the record for the longest number of years without a bank robbery. Also, our security agencies have been able to keep home invasions at a minimum while seriously tackling cases of kidnapping and other emerging security matters.

“We achieved this through the magnanimous donations of a few corporate organisations and individuals with the support of the Lagos State Government and Local Governments/Local Council Development Areas,” Ayilara said.

Without a doubt, Sanwo-Olu is making good his promise to create the right environment in which the security and safety of lives and property are guaranteed while ensuring that Lagos State remains one of the top destinations on the African continent to live, work and invest in.