The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to curb child theft and abduction in the Badagry axis, attributing the area’s vulnerability partly to its proximity to an international border.
The Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, disclosed this on Wednesday after the state’s bi-monthly security meeting with heads of security agencies and parliamentary affairs in Ikeja.
Salu-Hundeyin said the government had increased the frequency of its security meetings to enable authorities to identify and respond more quickly to emerging threats at the community level.
She explained that the meetings, which were previously held every three months, are now organised every two months because of growing security concerns across Lagos.
“It’s another bi-monthly meeting with the Head of Parliamentary Affairs and Heads of Security Agencies of the state. First, let me tell you, it’s no more quarterly. It’s bi-monthly now. So, we meet more often because we’ve realised that there are security issues,” she said.
She identified child theft as one of the major issues considered at the meeting, with security reports indicating that the Badagry area had recorded significant criminal activity.
“I want to tell you one of the touching ones about child theft. I call it child theft. You know, people that steal other people’s children and go and sell them.
“And this is so sad because, in this particular case, the woman has been charged to court. So, I can talk about it. And they even have a kind of clinic. She does it in conjunction with her own husband. You know, it’s really sad,” she said.
The SSG said the location of Badagry along an international border could make it easier for suspected traffickers to flee after committing offences.
“According to the report, most of this particular criminal activity happens mostly around the Badagry axis. Why we are talking about data and knowing locations is so that we know why it is happening there and what can be done. It’s simply because Badagry is a border town. So, they can easily escape,” Salu-Hundeyin said.
She said the government would respond by improving security infrastructure in the area, including the provision of more security lighting.
“So, we now know that we have to put more lights, I mean, security lights, on that area,” she said.
Salu-Hundeyin also said the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons would furnish the state with updated data on child trafficking cases, including convictions, pending cases and locations where the offences occurred.
“And the NAPTIP officer had promised to give us accurate statistics. I can’t tell you those statistics now because she didn’t come with the accurate ones. But she was able to tell us how many convictions are pending, those that have been convicted and all that, and the areas that they happen,” she said.
According to the SSG, relevant government agencies, including the Ministries of Youth and Women Affairs, were working together to tackle child theft and trafficking.
“Because when we’re talking about children, we’re talking about the future of the country, the future of the state. It’s very saddening that people will do that to innocent children. And so, we’re not taking it easy,” she said.
Salu-Hundeyin also connected some forms of criminal behaviour with mental health challenges, saying the state was expanding its mental health facilities as part of its wider response to social problems.
She disclosed that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration was constructing what she described as Africa’s largest mental health hospital, which she said would soon be commissioned.
The SSG further said community policing efforts were being strengthened through the Lagos State Neighbourhood Watch, as well as regular meetings with local government secretaries, Community Development Committees and Community Development Associations.
“We also hold meetings with the secretaries of the local governments. We also discuss security issues there so that they can go back to communities, CDCs and CDAs. We can see what’s going on,” she said.
The safety of some bridges across Lagos was also discussed at the meeting after a representative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps raised concerns over their security.
Salu-Hundeyin said the issues would be referred to the appropriate ministries, departments and agencies for necessary intervention.
At a separate meeting with members of the Lagos Police Community Relations Committee, the SSG commended the organisation for its efforts in promoting community engagement and security.
She said the committee’s activities had supported the work of the state government and security agencies in maintaining peace across Lagos.
“If I say that we’re not always grateful to you, it’s an understatement. We’re really grateful because the office is being seen the way it is seen because of what you’re doing. So I would say that we are because you are,” she said.
Salu-Hundeyin also highlighted the committee’s voter education initiatives, saying public enlightenment on electoral procedures could contribute to reducing violence during elections.
She said, “If you teach people how to conduct themselves before and during an election, it’s also a security issue. Because people will then know you’re educating them on their rights as voters.”
She encouraged the committee to continue its voter education programmes ahead of upcoming elections, stressing the importance of viewing elections as a democratic obligation rather than a confrontation.
“We’ve spoken to DPOs, we’ve spoken to all that, to say that, look, how do people tend to appreciate that election is not war? It is a civic duty that we must perform to make sure that we exercise our democratic rights and to have whoever we desire to lead us,” she said.
The SSG said effective voter education would also help citizens appreciate the power they have to determine who governs them.
“Election, the way I see what you’re doing, is like a mirror of governance, kind of, that if you exercise your rights well, you will get the right government you want. And people need to know that, especially at this time,” Salu-Hundeyin said.
