By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin |
The Lagos State Government has announced a major overhaul of security infrastructure in the Badagry division to halt a rising wave of child theft and human trafficking.
Addressing journalists following the state’s bimonthly security council briefing, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, described the trend as deeply distressing.
She confirmed that law enforcement has already apprehended and arraigned a female suspect operating an illegal clinic alongside her husband, though further details were withheld due to ongoing court proceedings.
Security evaluations revealed that child abduction rings disproportionately target the Badagry axis, a vulnerability officials attribute to its porous border geography, which offers easy escape routes for perpetrators.
In response, the state plans to dramatically improve visibility by installing additional street lighting across vulnerable flashpoints.
To craft a data-driven counter-strategy, the government has partnered with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to compile precise metrics on active cases, trial outcomes, and geographic hotspots.
This information will guide targeted interventions executed jointly by the Ministries of Women Affairs and Youth Development.
“When we are talking of children, we are talking about the future of the country, the future of the state. It is very saddening that people will do that to innocent children, and so we are not taking it easy,” Mrs. Salu-Hundeyin stated.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration has shifted its high-level security consultations with paramilitary and military heads from a quarterly to a bimonthly schedule to maintain constant situational awareness.
Concurrently, grassroots safety frameworks are being expanded through direct engagements with local government secretaries, Community Development Associations (CDAs), and the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).
Shifting focus to transport infrastructure, Lagos Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Corps Commander Kehinde Hamzat, outlined new protocols to mitigate severe gridlock around the Kara Bridge construction zone and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road corridor.
The FRSC plans to deploy strategic palliatives, extra recovery tow trucks, and standby ambulances.
Furthermore, the agency is launching a stringent public awareness campaign targeting major traffic violations, including driving under the influence, speeding, and vehicle overloading, to safeguard motorists across the metropolis.
NAN