Lagos State House of Assembly has called on the National Assembly to commence urgent constitutional amendment to give room for the creation of state police.
The house noted that the increasing rate of kidnapping and insecurity in the country could only be put to check if there was state police.
The lawmakers also called for the proper equipping of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, in the state and other security agencies in Lagos.
Expressing concern over the level of insecurity across the country, the Speaker of the House Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, who spoke under ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’, said: “over the weekend, there was attack on a commercial bus and the passengers abducted.”
Highlighting a recent kidnapping incident in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, Obasa said why the House harp on the creation of state police is to strengthen the country’s security system because the central police has been overstretched and can’t adequately cope with the security challenges.
“This time around the National Assembly should be our focus. They don’t have to wait till the twilight of their tenure to start a constitutional amendment.
“This administration is at the beginning of its four years. So the National Assembly should begin the amendment now, and we should be part of it to put create room for establishment of state police,” he said.
The Speaker of the House allayed the fears of those insinuating that state governors could hijack the state police and use it to their advantage.
He said the law creating state police should put a caveat to check the excesses of the governors.
Obasa also appealed to the Lagos state government to allocate a specific percentage of fund from the Security Trust Fund to empower and strengthen the Neighbourhood Safety Corps in the state.
He suggested that, there is the need for government to get to the root cause of what encourage insecurity in the country.
Obasa also appealed to government to engage the youths positively, so that they wont be idle and be a tool for crimes and social malfeasance.
Contributing to the motion, Hon. Aro Moshood, Ikorodu Constituency 2, shared a harrowing account of the recent kidnapping incident in Igbogbo Bayeku, Ijede Local Council Development Area, and appealed to the government to enhance security surveillance in the area.
Hon. Ajayi Oladele, Ibeju-Lekki Constituency 2 stressed the need for proactive measures by the government, stating that the influx of people into Lagos state without proper accommodation plan could encourage crime.
Hon. Nureni Akinsanya of Mushin Constituency 1 urged the state government to equip the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, so that they could be more effective in combating crime.