FOLLOWING
the discovery of bombs in a building in Lagos State and reports of likely
invasion of the South-West region by suspected Boko Haram members, the police
have deployed crack teams of policemen to patrol worship centres during and
after the Easter service in the region.
Indeed, police commands in all the states
in the zone have stepped up surveillance around worship centres while churches
and communities have been asked to be vigilant.
Specifically, worshippers were advised not
to allow anyone to charge phones or any electronic device in churches during
church service.
In Ogun State, a team of heavily armed
policemen was sighted at the Christ Anglican Church, Ogere Remo, during the
Good Friday service. The officers told the sexton as well as some youths of the
church to be on the lookout for strangers who might disguise as worshippers to
execute terrorist attacks on their church.
The policemen exchanged phone numbers with
the youth and told them to call their hotlines if they suspected any strange
occurrence, adding that the current security situation in the country calls for
increased vigilance on the part of all.
“In case you see anybody who is not a
member of your church, kindly query such person. Also, if anybody says he or
she wants to come and charge his or her phone and you know very well that the
person is not your member, politely turn the person back. Don’t allow anyone
plug any unfamiliar device in your church,” one of the policemen told them.
The same policemen were also later sighted
at the Ogere Central Mosque, close to the former tollgate on the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway, where they combed the vicinity during the Friday prayer service.
In a chat, the Divisional Police Officer,
Ogere divisional headquarters, John Oluwole told Saturday Tribune that the
patrol was as a result of the directive from the Force Headquarters,
communicated to the divisions and police formations through the state command.
He added that his men had also begun the
patrol of churches during vigils – all in efforts to avoid being caught
unawares by suicide bombers and unscrupulous individuals.
Ogun State Police Public Relation Officer,
Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, who would not confirm the police warning to churches,
however, said “the Ogun State Police Command has adopted a security method to
ensure that peace reigns supreme in this state. We are working with all sectors
to ensure that there is peace in this state.”
Also, the Osun State Commissioner of
Police, Mrs. Dorothy Gimba, said the state command had stepped up surveillance
and deployed more policemen to ensure effective security of life and property
during the Easter period.
Speaking with Saturday Tribune in a
telephone interview, the commissioner said no stone would be left unturned to
guarantee a hitch-free Easter celebration in the state.
Mrs. Gimba said the state command would
intensify its mobile patrol throughout the state, and work round the clock to
ensure peace and tranquillity in the state.
“As usual, we will increase our
surveillance, through patrols and explore intelligence reports to nip in the
bud any act of criminality, while we will also deploy more men to strengthen
the security in Osogbo, the state capital, and other communities.
“As expected, there will be more influx of
eminent personalities into the state from Abuja, Lagos and other cities, and as
such, we are ready as always to make sure that the security here is not
breached. I can assure you that we are up to the task to discharge our duties
and responsibilities efficiently, as far as the security of the state is
concerned.”
In Lagos State, since police recovered
bombs and AK-47 rifles in Ijora area of the state, the state command has
continued to conduct raids on hideouts suspected to be operational bases of
terrorists in the state; but it has insisted that such actions were just
routine exercises.
Ninety two people from Chad, Mali, Republic
of Niger and the northern part of Nigeria were arrested, while many of them
have been deported by the Lagos State command of the Nigeria Immigration
Service
Saturday Tribune gathered that the state
police command has directed all area commanders and DPOs to properly monitor
all religious institutions and public places.
“Policemen have been directed to ensure
surveillance and routine patrol around places like churches, shopping malls and
market places during the Easter celebrations,” a police source told Saturday
Tribune.
In Oyo State, the police on Friday went
round the state capital, Ibadan, and other towns with heavily armed anti-crime
operatives and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) on a ‘show of force,’ as a
way of sending warning signals to criminals.
When the Saturday Tribune called the Deputy
Commissioner in charge of administration, Mr Clement Adoda, he confirmed the
development, saying that it was to show that the police were prepared repel any
criminal acts.
He added that all DPOs had been instructed
to remain at their duty posts and to make their offices their homes for the
Easter period.
“We are trying to replicate what we did
during the Christmas and New Year festivities,” he disclosed further.
On measures being taken against terrorism,
Mr Adoda said the fight against terrorism is an intelligence war and not the
type fought on the pages of newspapers.
“We have put in place measures but we
cannot disclose them. We will go by intelligence gathering and community
policing, working hand-in-hand with other security agencies and different
strata of the society.
“We have heard what happened in Lagos; we
have studied it and we have drafted our own strategies to suit our purpose in
the state,” the deputy commissioner stated further.
He revealed that the command’s strategy
paid off on Thursday with the interception of a vehicle that was snatched
within the capital, in less than 30 minutes after the robbery.
Adoda added that another vehicle which was
snatched in another state and was being taken across Oyo State was also
recovered at the Ibadan end tollgate, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday,
while two suspects were arrested.
Source: Tribune
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