Kunle Adelabu
The Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area, Builder Sesan Daini, has revealed that the council will, every year, organize a security summit to review its security architecture and proffer solutions to challenges.
He also disclosed that over 50 trained personnel in its Joint Local Security Task Force (JLSTF) will be given life insurance policy to encourage and take care of them and their families in case of any unforeseen circumstances in the course of their duties.
These were part of the disclosures made by the Council Chairmen at the first Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA Security Summit/2nd Anniversary of the formation of the council’s Local Joint Security Task Force, at the Adeboruwa palace in Igbogbo on Thursday, November 24, 2022.
Certificates of training at the Police College, Ikeja, were presented to the members of the JLSTF who also embarked on parade with the Chairman observing the guard of honour during the event.
“We are here today for the second year of the inauguration of our local security joint task force in Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area at the palace of Adeboruwa of Igbogbo which is also the same venue it was launched”, Daini said.
“We are here to thank God for running this body officially for two years without any major issue, but that does not mean that we did not have any casualty in the course of operation, but we thank God that we are standing firm.
“This Local Security Joint Task Force was birth by the Peace and Security Committee of the council that resolved that we form the body, bringing together all the local security forces within our community under total supervision and monitoring of the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies stated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, he added.
He said that in ensuring that they have good and well – trained personnel, those recruited were screened by a committee, profiled and brought to the palace for traditional engagements.
While thanking the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Barr.) Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali, and Olubeshe of Ibeshe, His Royal Majesty, Oba Richard Ogunsanya and their council of chiefs for their support, Daini said that the council is in the process of establishing life insurance policy for the personnel of the security outfit.
“Within these two years of our operation, we lost one of our men, but we thank God that we took responsibility for what happened and took care of the family of the security personnel”, he said.
“Today, we have invited the officials of the LASACO because we have concluded all arrangements to place all our men on life insurance policy with LASACO, meaning that with the insurance, they and their families would be covered for life, God forbid, should in case anything happened to them in the course of their work.
“I also want to inform you that we have made sure that our men passed through normal processes and what we are doing is the policy and idea of the Nigerian police which is encouraging community policing. We are not police and we are not in any way close to any of the security agencies listed in the constitution.
“What we are doing is supporting, collaborating and providing reasonable information and some support to our security agencies to make sure that we get to the roots of crimes”.
The Council Chairman, who stated that the best way to tackle insecurity in the country is to adopt the community policing idea, also stated that the security personnel have undergone proper training in intelligence gathering.
He also stated that the summit will not be a one – off event, but an annual gathering to deliberate and proffer a way out on security.
“I will state categorically that all crimes are local and that is why the crime in Ikorodu might be different from the one in Kano and in Ebonyi, so, for us, to actually tackle insecurity in our community and the country at large, we need to localize the process of handling policing; we need to localize the process of handling security. One particular process cannot solve millions of security issues and challenges in this country’, Daini said.
“It is on this note that we have decided to localize and support the police and we thank God that our police officers have been doing greatly in giving us maximum support.
“Equally, we will be having an annual security summit. The summit will be an avenue for all of us to come together to review security challenges; review our solutions and collectively come together to provide solutions to future activities”, he said.
“This that we are doing today, is just to support security agencies across board; and making sure that we localize our approach. I can say categorically that we have been having positive results and I want to add that in making sure that our people perform very well, we have decided to send them to the Nigerian Police College in Ikeja.
“They came back last week from the training at the police college where they were trained about intelligence and community policing and how they can have some strategies to get security problems solved within our community”.
He said that the Council has been paying the salaries of the security personnel to encourage and motivate them to be committed to policing the community.
“We have about 53 of them on the salary of Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA since the past two years. They are on salary on a monthly basis and I am going to say that we have not owed them for more than 27 months that we have been paying them. In fact, in about three months ago, we increased their salary by about 50% to make sure that we encourage them and that they do not in any way go into conspiracy with any other body that wants to connive with them to commit crime in our society”, Daini said.
The Secretary to the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, Barr. Ade Ayeni, speaking at the summit, thanked the Governor of the state, Mr Babajide Sanwo – Olu, for his support and approval granted the council for the formation of the LJSTF.
He equally commended the royal fathers in the council, the State Commissioner of Police, traditional chiefs and various security formations within the council for supporting and cooperating with the council on security matters.
While explaining the composition of members of the committee that screened and profiled about 200 applicants for the LJSTF two years ago, he said that personnel from the Nigerian Police, DSS, mobile police, representatives of the Community Development Committee (CDC) and religious bodies and others, were involved in the selection of about 50 men for the local security operations.
“Through the screening, we were able to select about 50 competent and capable personnel and ever since, we have not received any negative report from the public on them”, the SLG said
“They deserved our commendations for operating within the rules and sacrificing their own liberty and time to work for Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, when we were faced with serious insecurity. They are the ones assisting the police and other agencies in ensuring that we have a peaceful community.
“The police can also testify to it that they have been receiving maximum cooperation from them in terms of intelligence gathering.
“Unfortunately, we lost one of them during his security engagements”, he added.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi, who was represented by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Aderemi Balogun, in his keynote address, said that the local security body was brought about when Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, was confronted with security challenges.
“Before I assume duty as the DPO, there were series of crimes from the rival cult groups’ clashes on a daily basis. There were series of phone snatching, house breaking and people could not sleep at night”, he said.
“It was so terrible that they had to sit down and strategise and like the chairman said, all crimes are local. The crime that is happening in Igbogbo might not be the same as Ikorodu or Ketu. Hence, we had to invite all the local security heads in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA – VGN, Agbekoya, Onyabo, OPC and the rest to discuss strategies to stem the tide.
“That was what led to that idea. I will give kudos to the chairman who gave 100% support because what is happening now wouldn’t have happened without his support. It is the first of its kind in Lagos State and all other states. To the glory of God, other councils are now emulating the idea”, he said.
‘Through this, crimes have reduced in Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA. People can walk freely. There used to be a time when people called a place ‘Orita Badoo’, but that is no longer the case. Then, you ccould not walk freely along Ogunleye Street, even the Odofin Street down to the Cemetery and the same thing in Bayeku, Oreta and Offin, but today, these places are no longer the same. People are now moving around the place without any problem.
“These are due to the fact that we have the personnel in every part of the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA and they are doing a great job. Again, what’s their job? It’s to complement the police and other security forces efforts and they have been doing that which of course, is in line with the philosophy of the present Inspector – General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, CFR.
“Hence, the same idea shared by the Commissioner of Police, DPO, led to what we have here today and the personnel have been doing a great job. We have been correcting them when necessary, and even the community can testify that they have not done anything considered negative.
“Through them, many cultists have been arrested and things have been going well within the Igbogbo/Bayeku community”.
He charged the community to assist the police and local security with information, while also asking residents to light- up their areas as part of measures against insecurity.
Oba Kasali, in his royal remarks, simply thanked the state government, Commissioner of Police, DPO, the Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA and other security formations for assisting in securing the community.
He prayed for success in their operations while charging residents to give them maximum support.
Others at the summit were representatives of Area N Command, Mopol 63, DSS, NSCDC, LNSC, PCRC, religious bodies, market and Community Development Associations and many more.
