The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a resolution urging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to call an emergency security council meeting to discuss the killings in the state.
The conference, according to the House, was held in an attempt to halt a string of suspected killings of citizens by individuals in uniform.
The assembly passed the resolution at a plenary under a motion of ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance’ by Mr. Kehinde Joseph (APC-Alimosho II).
A Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District Sen. Olamilekan Adeola had recently announced that his aide, Mr. Adeniyi Sanni, was allegedly murdered by unknown military personnel in July, adding that his corpse was later discovered at the Ladipo Bus Stop along Oshodi-Mile 2 Expressway.
The assembly also reacted to the recent fracas between some army personnel and officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
Speaker expresses worry
The Speaker of the House, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, lamented that the killings had so far taken the same pattern with men in uniform being allegedly mentioned.
Obasa stressed that the security of lives and property was one essence of government, saying that “where we begin to have one, two, three killings in the state, it calls for concern.
- “I quite agree with the prime mover of the motion to call on Mr. Governor to quickly hold a meeting with all heads of security agencies in Lagos State to nip this in the bud. At least three people have been declared dead, said to be killed by men in either Police or Army uniforms and we cannot conclude if they are security men or otherwise,” he said.
Earlier, Joseph, who is the prime mover of the motion, had called the attention of his colleagues to the recent killings, saying the incidents called for concern. Joseph recalled that earlier in August, a resident, Mr. Adeniyi Sanni, who was an aide to Sen. Olamilekan Adeola was murdered, adding that there were other two incidents on Aug. 17 and 19.
- “The funny thing is that the series of killings took the same pattern. Adeniyi Sanni’s wife told me that her husband was stopped at a checkpoint by men in military uniforms. They requested documents which the wife sent through WhatsApp to him. His corpse was later found somewhere.
- “Same was the case of Mr. Lawal who was stopped and asked for his documents. They later dropped his corpse in the Iyana-Ipaja area,” he said.
Joseph moved that the police should be called upon to step up security in the state while the military should fish out the men who perpetrated such crimes with army uniforms.
In his contribution, Mr. Bonu Saanu (APC-Badagry 1) observed that it was becoming increasingly difficult to know fake security personnel and genuine ones.
The speaker, thereafter, asked the clerk of the house, Mr. Lekan Onafeko, to forward the resolution of the House on the issue to the governor.
