The Inspector General of Police, IGP Muhammed Adamu, on Tuesday paid a working visit to the Lagos State Police Command in the bid to assess the damages caused to police facilities by hoodlums who hijacked the #EndSARS protest in the state.
The IG, who visited the stations that were burnt, destroyed and looted, was accompanied by top chiefs of the Force, including the Commissioner of the Command, Hakeem Odumosu, who said policemen in the state were not cowards as they were back on their beats.
Adamu, who also visited the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the level of destruction of police properties in the state was enormous, and commiserated with the families of policemen who lost their lives.
He said: “Everyone knows that the police is the face of government in any country as they are the first sign of authority in the country.
“Everyone knows that if a protest stays too long, it will be hijacked and that was what eventually happened.
“We know that not everyone in the country is condemning the police because we have received calls from various people commending us, telling us they see and appreciate what we are doing.
“Not everyone in the country will agree that police is bad.
“We have few bad eggs but the majority are good.
“The police are special Nigerians in charge of the protection of the citizens and we must be treated specially.”
The IGP also visited the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu.
Adamu and his team were received by some white cap chiefs who told him that Oba Akiolu was safe and sound.
Odumosu told Adamu that officers and men of the command were not cowards as they had since gone back to their various formations and stations to protect lives and properties.
He said they were ever ready to confront every situation and tackle all forms of lawlessness in the State.
He said: “We have arrested 560 suspects so far.
“They are currently being prosecuted in conjunction with the State Ministry of Justice and a lot of the looted items have been recovered.
“We have restored peace to the State and police presence is being felt across the state carrying out our constitutional responsibilities, and businesses are also picking up and social activities are coming to its peak.
“With your presence here, our spirits are high now like before.
“We are not coward.
“We are ever ready to confront the menace of hoodlums in all ramifications in the command.
“Through the Inspector General of Police Community Policing, we are working with the residents who have assisted us in the recovery of some of the looted items.
“We also recovered arms and ammunitions and a lot of stolen properties.
“I want to appeal to the IGP to give posthumous promotion to the departed officers and men of the command who lost their lives during the EndSARS protest because it will give succour to the family they left behind.
“So as also to boost their morale.
“We need anti-riot equipment and water cannon truck to disperse protesters during unrest period.
“During a visit of the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, he promised to foot the bills of those who sustained injuries during the protest, giving scholarship to the deceased children, rebuild burnt police stations and police posts and accepted to construct additional offices at the command.
“As a command, we are calling on the Inspector General of Police to commend the State Government and the good people of the State for their kind gestures to us because the hands of fellowship of the government to the command is unquantifiable.
“We also want to reassure the IGP that all hands are on desk to make policing more visible in the State because we are not going to deviate from the standard of policing.
“The command has put in place a strategy to rejig policing mechanism to tackle armed robbers who may want to raise their ugly heads during the ember months, which is usually characterised by security challenges and it is pertinent to say that the command didn’t record any ugly incident last year December and we can still repeat same this year again.”
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