The Lagos State Police Command has asked
operators of hotels, nightclubs, lounges, bars, and beaches in the
state to install Closed Circuit Television cameras and put in place
other security measures in their facilities.....
The state Acting Commissioner of Police,
Edgal Imohimi, said the measures were to check drug abuse, drug
peddling and other criminal activities in their establishments.
Imohimi gave the directive on Saturday
during a meeting with stakeholders in the hospitality industry at the
command headquarters in Ikeja, lamenting an increase in drug abuse among
youths and minors.
He commended the initiatives of the
state Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, towards ensuring a 24-hour economy for
the state, and urged the operators to join the police in tackling the
grey areas of their activities.
He said, “Some of such areas are drug
peddling, drug use and drug abuse. Intelligence report at my disposal
reveals that there are increased drug peddling and drug abuse in most of
our nightclubs, lounges and beaches across the state.
“The ease with which our youths are
getting access to drugs at clubs, hotels, lounges, beaches and bars is
worrisome and our meeting here today is to send a very strong signal to
operators that it is not going to be business as usual.
“The last intelligence report I
received indicates that young men now move around these establishments
armed. We have it on good authority that some of these establishments
are used as meeting points to plan crimes.
“Going forward, it is compulsory for
operators to install basic security gadgets such as CCTV cameras and
metal box detectors, among others, to cover their establishments.”
The CP warned that any operator found
indulging criminals would henceforth be arrested, shamed and prosecuted
in accordance with the law.
He also set up a 10-man committee headed
by the Managing Director of Farm City Lounge in Lekki, Mr. Lanre Carew,
to come up with a comprehensive blueprint on how to strengthen security
in the hospitality industry.
The committee is expected to submit its report in two weeks.
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