Tag: Umar Manko

2015 Elections: Fashola Urges Lagos Residents To Remain Calm

fashLagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN on Saturday led the All Progressives Congress (APC) statewide campaign to Badagry alongside the Governorship candidate of the party, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, urging all residents and supporters of the APC to remain calm, focused and avoid violence.

The Governor, who spoke while addressing the rally held at the Badagry Grammar School premises, stressed that the opponents are looking for an opportunity to forment violence and get an excuse to postpone the elections.

“Irrespective of all the seeming problems that you are beginning to see, remain calm and focused. It is provocation. They are looking for opportunity to forment trouble and excuse to postpone the elections.

“They are already saying that if there is violence in North East, the people would not vote. We are going to vote here irrespective of what they do and whatever the provocation. Our answer is not violence; our answer would be by massive voting for the APC”, he explained.

He stressed that while the State Government has done a lot with proceeds from the State Security Fund to set up the State Rapid Response Squad which has protected residents of the State, he alleged that the RRS is now being dismantled by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He stated that the Commander of the Squad, ACP Hakeem Odumosu who has been responsible for building it for over seven years has been transferred out of Lagos all because of the coming elections just as the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, Mr Umaru Manko who was also a former Commissioner of Police in the State has also been removed.

The Governor urged all eligible voters in the State who have not yet collected their Permanent Voters Card to proceed to their ward offices where the cards are now available for collection as they are not available in the Local Government Secretariats anymore.

He told the residents of Badagry and party faithful that the State has recorded yet another first in the medical field with first successful Cochlear implant which restored hearing to a person hitherto with impaired hearing.

He said such feat was only achievable overseas before now and that he was instrumental in facilitating the homecoming of a Nigerian doctor based overseas to LASU where his collaboration with other medical staff has brought about the medical feat.

He added that the laws in Lagos State to support the physically challenged people is not merely a lip service but one borne out of a deep commitment to ensure that they function like very member of the society.

He informed that the State has provided support to the School for the Blind at Oshodi through the construction of dormitories, hostels and workshops adding that the present government is not one that visits the electorate only at election periods.

Fashola said the present administration has not only constructed the Igbo Elerin Road which was a major request of the people of the area in 2007, it has gone on to construct Joseph Dosu Road, Market Street, Cemetery road just as it is also in Iragan and Poka while work has started on Iya Afin Access Road all in Badagry.

He stated that some months ago when he came to Badagry to formally hand over the 24 hour Primary Health Care Centre, he observed a prevalence of Goitre and that immediately, tests were carried out on many of them and follow up surgeries carried out successfully at no cost at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

The Governor said the Federal Government owned Lagos Badagry Expressway, which is currently undergoing expansion to a 10 lane international highway, is about supporting the Badagry axis and allowing people to be able to come to the area for tourism so that they can come in and depart without difficulty.

He also said the first rail municipal project is also in the Badagry axis because the tourism economy is located there and the State Government in recognition of that has already completed the beachfront and is building the cultural museum just as the High Court in the area has been completed.

He stressed that four stations of the Blue line rail project have already been completed and that at whatever stage the project is, when the present administration completes its term, it would be completed by the incoming administration of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode.

He described the rail being built by the Federal Government as the ones left by the colonialists in 1900, adding that what they have done is that they bought diesel engines to run them and are celebrating that.

The Governor said what Lagos is going to deliver through the Light Rail project are air-conditioned electric trains.

 

Boko Haram Claims Entry Into Lagos With Apapa Blast

shekau JulyA worrisome report has purportedly been posted by Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the islamists insurgent group, Boko Haram online claiming they have made incursion into Lagos, South West Nigeria.

The video, AFP claimed, made available to them, shows Shekau claiming responsibility for the explosion which he said the Police and the Lagos State Government said resulted from gas cylinder.

Shekau said “I ordered the bomber to detonate the explosive.”

The Lagos Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, had dispelled the claims as mere industrial accident and that the incident had nothing to do with Boko Haram activities.

Mr. Manko asked Lagosians to carry on with their daily activities and as far as Lagos State was concerned there was nothing to fear as regard Boko Haram attacks.

Shekau has now been quoted to have said “A bomb went off in Lagos. I ordered (the bomber) who went and detonated it.

“You said it was a fire incident, well, if you hide it from people you cannot hide it from Allah.”

Claiming responsibility for the bombing of Lagos, the leader of Boko Haram sect also said that the sect was responsible for the Abuja bombings that killed many people at Emah Plaza, located in the Federal Capital Territory.

“We were the ones who detonated the bomb in filthy Abuja,” Shekau said.

Lagos Police Feed Suspects In New Year Celebration

The Police in Lagos State were not left out in the New Year celebration in Nigeria, but they chose to do this with special feeding for all robbery suspects.

Speaking with journalists at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, Police Commissioner, Umar Manko explained the rationale behind the gesture was established last year.

“I just felt that it’s a New Year, and whatever the situation is, even though some of them killed our colleagues, we should celebrate in the spirit of New Year together.”

He went on to clarify that the gesture does not imply a drop in the firmness with which the Police carried out its duties.

“Crime is a crime whichever way you go into it and it is bad enough.”

“You could see some of them crying, I think it is a message that has gone down to many of them here that crime is not good. I can identify some of them that were brought here deadly but now sober.

“We will do this but it doesn’t mean the law will not take its course.

Promising that the services of the Police would be more accessible in the New Year, he said: “You should expect more quality service delivery from the Police. Whatever we achieved last year, we hope to improve on that and people who have businesses to do here should not have any fear to come and do their businesses.

“For criminals, the message is that they should not try anything funny here because strategies are on ground to ensure that Lagos remains the safest place in the country.”

Lagos Needs Over N51bn To Tackle Security Challenges – Fashola

It would cost the Lagos State Government 51billion Naira to effectively tackle the challenge of insecurity in the state.

This is the view of the State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, who was at the Lagos State 7th Town Hall Meeting with the theme ‘Sustaining Local Responses to Rising National Security Challenges’.

“If we have to patrol every street in Lagos where we have a minimum of about 30,001 roads, we will require at least 45billion Naira to put one patrol vehicle on every street.”

He says that if more people contribute to the state’s Security Trust Fund and the Federal Government invests more in that area, security will be effectively tackled.

“No matter how little your contribution, I assure that it will always inspire us to continue this journey to rid our communities of criminals.”

The State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, added that the contribution to the trust fund has so far yielded good results. He said that between November 2012 and October 2013, 472 armed robbers have been arrested, 390 arms and 16,034 ammunition have been recovered, while 919 vehicles have been recovered.

At the end of the meeting, 37 Police officers were presented with awards for their act of leadership and bravery in fighting crime in the state.

Ikorodu: Some Will Benefit From Okada Rider’s Death – Oshomah

A legal practitioner, Liborous Oshomah, has alleged that certain persons of the Nigeria Police will most likely benefit from the death of a young commercial motorcyclist, Olalekan, who was shot dead on Tuesday by a policeman in Ikorodu, Lagos state.

“The issue is nobody is talking about compensation for the family,” but rather people will benefit from the mishap as “committees will be set up to investigate this. Some people will be sent from Abuja, a special squad to investigate. They would stay in a hotel. They would be paid estacode, out of office allowance and all of that and at the end of the day the report will not see the light of day.”

He said this while speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, adding that such incidents happen in other parts of the country regularly but they are hardly made public, probably due to minimal-media presence.

“In other states, it’s happening daily, hardly spoken of.”

Responding to the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko’s call to aggrieved colleagues of the murdered okada rider to adhere to traffic laws and keep calm, Mr Oshomah said ‘human life’ is the main issue and not traffic laws.

“That’s to tell you the value this people place on human life,” he added.

He also accused the government for placing low value on the lives of citizens which is why the people “find it very convenient these days to put our hope and our lives in the hands of pastors because government has failed in all sectors,” he said.

“The government is culpable” in this case, he said, decrying the public conduct of police officers who in his opinion, should be examined psychologically and trained appropriately before they are empowered with ammunition.

He implied that the policeman assigned to enforce law on the street needs no gun to accomplish it.

The murdered motorcyclist, Olalekan, the only son of his parents was survived by a wife, three children and siblings.

Lagos CP Calls On Residents To Support Security Agencies

The Lagos State Security Council on Wednesday met under the chairmanship of Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) with the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umaru Manko urging all residents of Lagos to support security agencies in the New Year so that they can collectively provide quality security service to the people.

Mr Manko who fielded questions from State House Correspondents at the Lagos House, Marina after the meeting noted that the yuletide period was crime free in Lagos because everyone was at work as all the security agencies were all out during the festivities.

Also speaking on what 2013 would look like against the background of a continuing decline in crime rates, the Police Commissioner said the security agencies with the support of the State Government and the public will do everything to ensure that Lagos is and remains a peaceful place for all the residents who are engaged in lawful business.

“The beauty of it is that the State Government has made very huge investments in security and the dividends of that investment is this peace you are witnessing”, Mr Manko reiterated .

Giving an update on the issue of stored firecrackers explosions at Jankara Market, the Police Commissioner said,

“Somebody has been arrested, the matter is under investigation and by the time we are through with the investigation, whatever is the outcome of that matter will be made public.

He also appealed to citizens that they should be more security conscious and ensure that where they have or see objects that they are not familiar with they should please contact the security agencies on 767 or 112.

“We want to solicit for that support so that together we should be able to make Lagos very free and safe this year”, he added.

 

Police bars vigilante groups from carrying guns in Lagos

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko has declared that it is a criminal offence for members of vigilante groups to carry rifles.

The Lagos State police boss said vigilante groups are supposed to work with the police at the local level.

“They can arrest suspects and hand them over to the police whose responsibility it is to investigate and prosecute if the need arises.”

“It is a criminal offence for members of the vigilante to carry guns” he said.

Mr Manko said anyone seen with a gun must have a valid license for it and such individual must have been duly screened by the appropriate authorities.

“So it is a crime for one to have a privately licensed gun and in turn hand over same to vigilante group for security purposes,” he said.

Manko explained that if a vigilante member is arrested with a rifle issued to him by another person they will be arrested for illegal possession of fire arms.

He noted that members of the vigilante are there to complement efforts of the police, not to usurp the responsibility of the police.

 

We are ready to implement new traffic Law – Lagos CP

The Lagos State Security Council met Wednesday at the Lagos House Marina under the Chairmanship of the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), with the Police pledging their readiness to begin full enforcement of the law and warning that in the process, nobody would be spared.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Umar Manko

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Umar Manko, who gave the indication  after the meeting, said the delay in enforcement was in order to allow for public enlightenment and all other requirements to be put in place to ensure easy compliance by members of the public.

Fielding questions from newsmen after the meeting, the Police boss explained, “Since the Governor signed it, it has become law. The fact that it has not been massively enforced does not mean that it is not in existence. So we have just finished a meeting. Everybody now knows there is a new law and that law is going to be fully enforced”.

According to the Commissioner, “Government has done its part, public enlightenment has been made, road repairs are going on and there are traffic signs everywhere, therefore, no citizen has the right to say that he does not know. The Police are going to start the enforcement in full and nobody is going to be spared”.

Promising that members of his Command would not disobey the law, Manko declared, “We are going to start full enforcement and we expect compliance to this law from everybody. The contents have been made public, so excuse of ignorance of the law is no more there”.

On “MBER” months, the Commissioner, who described them as no different from other months of the year, said although there may be some challenges the Police was fully prepared and would come out en masse to ensure that public peace was not disturbed.