Lagos Police Commissioner Vows to Reduce Multiple Checkpoints on Badagry Expressway
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, has announced plans to reduce the multiple checkpoints along the Lagos Badagry Expressway. The decision was made during a familiarisation visit to the Area K Command of Nigeria Police in Badagry, Lagos, on Saturday.
According to Fayoade, the multiple checkpoints were creating a negative impact and bad image for the country. He stated that he would look into the police checkpoints on the expressway and reduce them, assuring that the reduction would not affect security in the area.
The commissioner also acknowledged that security agencies were not the only ones manning the checkpoints, as individuals, Agbero, NURTW, and others were also involved. He urged traditional rulers in Badagry to talk to the sons who were creating the checkpoints, as most of them were youths who were not engaged in productive activities.
Fayoade commended local government chairmen for supporting the command to fight crime and urged them to continue their support. He also assured that most of the complaints would be tabled before the Inspector General of Police and necessary actions would be taken.
The Commander of Area K Command, Assistant Commissioner of Police Adeleke Smith, also commended the chairmen of local governments for their cooperation and support. He appreciated the people of Badagry for their understanding and accommodating the police, as well as the local government chairmen within the Badagry division for their unhampered support of the Nigerian police force.
Some traditional rulers from Badagry had earlier registered their complaints about police officers not wearing their uniforms on the highway. The Onimeke of Imeke Land, Oba Olatunji Ogabi, described the behavior of some police officers as unbearable and urged the commissioner to sensitise them. The Chairman of Badagry Local Government, Olusegun Onilude, also called on the commissioner to reduce the number of police checkpoints along the expressway, citing the unnecessary delay and waste of time caused by these checkpoints, which had led to tourists abandoning the coastal town.
In addition, a traditional leader, the Oniwoko of Iworo Land, Oba Olu Kosoko, urged the commissioner to build a police station in the area, as the town, being the headquarters of a Local Council Development Area, did not have a police station.
The traditional rulers from different towns in Badagry were present at the meeting, along with leaders of security agencies including the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Army, and Department of State Service.
