By Oki Samson
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos Command, CP Adegoke Mustapha Fayoade yesterday paid his familiarization visit to the security stakeholders in Area A Lion Building under the leadership of Area Commander, ACP Aisha Haruna, Lagos Island, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report.
The CP’s visit attracted the Chairman of Lagos Island Local Government, Hon. Folawiyo; Iyaloja-General of Lagos Island; Chief Security Officers of GTCO and Polaris Bank; Chairman of PCRC Area A Command, Chairman of PCRC Victoria Island, Mr. Matthew Ibadin and other community leaders. The top police officers who were present at the meeting alongside CP Adegoke Fayoade included DCP Fatai Tijani, DCP S. Khan, PPRO Lagos Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, and the host, the Area Commander, Area “A” Lion Building, ACP Aisha Haruna.
In his brief remarks at the meeting, the gentlemanly but firm CP Fayoade told the attendees, ‘The significance of today’s event is to reassure stakeholders that we will continue to protect them with passion and that acts of crime and criminality will not be allowed to persist in Lagos.’
‘To my men and officers, I have come to advise them, talk to them, and ask them to work harder and not relent to give room to criminals.’
National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report that the Nigeria Police Area A Command is situated on Campbell street, Lagos Island of the Africa’s largest Megacity and commercial nerve center of Nigeria. It is surrounded by several corporate companies, public and private, to mention but a few, Shell Petroleum company, Nigeria Port Authority, Freedom Park, conference hall building, Lagos Island maternity hospital, Appeal and magistrate courts, Idumota and Sura markets and other sensitive places of interest like Lagos state government house, Marina and Ikoyi correctional center, etc.
The Lion Building Area Command was once the seat of Lagos State Police Command headquarters which makes it to continue to serves as headquarters to these four strategic and tactical formations of the force namely: Area A command Headquarters, 43 Police mobile force squadron, Lion building divisional police headquarters, and Base 17, special protection unit.
Speaking further on the Area A Lion Building, the host and Area Commander, ACP Aisha Haruna added: ‘The following police divisions make up the Area Command viz. Adeniji Adele police station, Victoria Island Division, Ikoyi division, Onikan division, Lion division with outpost in national assembly TBS, Dolphin division, Ebute Meta division with Kester outpost.’
ACP Haruna noted that she has adopted various policing strategies which has led the achievements. ‘Our strategies used in policing our area are Community policing: This is one of the strategies we embraced in our Area of responsibility to curb crime by involving the community/ stakeholders in crime prevention, crime detection and problems solving efforts.
We adopted problem solving approaches by identifying specific crime issued and work collaboratively with the community to develop solutions that addresses the root causes of the problem. We adopted increase in our visibility policing and zero tolerance to crime and criminalities which has been the watch words of the Commissioner of Police by making our presence felt through constant patrolling, mounting our pin down points/ black spots both inflow and outflows. Constant raiding of black spots to arrest and deter criminals from using our community as safe haven which has yielded great achievements.
We adopted education and outreach by educating the schools in indulging in crimes.
Intelligence gathering which is one important component to prevent crime from happening as well as arresting the perpetrators to face the law was adopted as well and I could say without mincing words, the community is excellent.’
The constraints and challenges that she encounters at the Lion Building Command include ‘limited resources. Some of our patrol vehicles are down and efforts are been made to refurbish them but those that are taken away needed to be replaced. We enjoy the assistance we had from the command.’
ACP Aisha Haruna however revealed to NAOSNP that policing requires a multifaceted approach that involves proper resources, allocations, building trust with the community, synergizing with other sister agencies, training for officers, addressing the root cause of crime and together with the stakeholders, law enforcement agencies can create a safer and more efficient environment for all residents.
