The Presidency on Friday described as irresponsible and unintelligent a statement by Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, that Thursday’s deadly robbery in Lekki area of Lagos was made possible as a result of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presence in the state.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, made the Presidency’s position known in an interview with State House correspondents in Abuja.
Three policemen and a fish seller were said to have been killed on Thursday by a gang of robbers who stormed the First City Monument Bank on Admiralty Way in Lekki, Lagos State.
The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, said in the video posted online by Saharatvonline, “This afternoon (Thursday), we lost three policemen in a robbery in Lekki and it is the first of its type in a very long time.
“But it was sad to have seen all our security personnel and all our security vehicles deployed to protect one man. All the vehicles we bought for the police were stationed to receive the President in Lagos while the citizens were left vulnerable.
“Those policemen have children and tonight, their mothers would be hard put to explain to them why daddy would not be coming home.”
But Abati said the Presidency viewed the governor’s statement as “grossly and utterly irresponsible.”
He said he expected that a man of Fashola’s status should speak more responsibly.
He said it did not make any sense that the entire police formation in the state would be deployed to protect the President during his visit that saw him sounding the gong to signal closing of business at the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Abati said, “The visit of the President to Lagos or any part of the country does not necessitate the depletion of the police force active in that particular state or environment.
“The President has a defined team that protects him anywhere he goes.
“And again, President Jonathan does not need the entire police force in Lagos State to protect him in a state where he is loved by the people and where as we have seen, he enjoys overwhelming support in the lead up to the 2015 presidential elections.
“We do not only consider Governor Babatunde Fashola’s statement as irresponsible, we also think that it is unintelligent because it flies in the face of facts and it just does not add up.
“We hope that Governor Fashola, in an attempt to play politics, will not continue as his party does to play politics with the lives of people.
“People died in that unfortunate incident and President Jonathan commiserate with the affected families.
“But we will find it really cheap and disgusting that the governor of a state will now see that, an occasion of bereavement affecting the number of families, as an opportunity to play very cheap and irresponsible politics.”
The Nigeria Police have also said that there is nothing improper in deploying as many policemen as possible to protect the country’s President.
Asked whether a larger percentage of policemen in a state are deployed to protect the President whenever he visits any state in the country, Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, explained that the President needed as much security as he could get.
Ojukwu said, “There is nothing wrong in adequately protecting the President but that does not mean that the police force will leave every other Nigerian unprotected. That is why we are called ‘Nigerian Police Force.’
“There is simply no truth in the opinion that all our men were drafted to protect the President.” Meanwhile, the police in Lagos have said investigation is ongoing to track down the robbers.
Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, explained that men of the force in the state are in mourning, adding that whenever there is a development in the investigation, the public would be informed. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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I respect Fashiola but if he actually said this it shows that he his brain cannot make good judgment. It is high time they stop making useless political messages without evidence. People should not just babble anything with their mouth without reasoning
ReplyDeleteI think what you advice should be practice by you. Just use your brain
DeleteBut is it not true that the police formation and their vans were withdrew to accommodate the security plan for the presidency? How can a president love and wanted by his people need such level of security. There is problem somewhere. And more so, who is in charge of the police.
ReplyDeleteIf KAI or Lastma call police or RRS, response will come b4 u say JACK to arrest bike, buses and private vehicles to make money. But imagine this in an area that crawls with police. It is sad. Either our police are not serious with their job or really deployment of too much officers gave the hoodlums an advantage to overpower those left on ground.
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteIf KAI or Lastma call police or RRS, response will come b4 u say JACK to arrest bike, buses and private vehicles to make money. But imagine this in an area that crawls with police. It is sad. Either our police are not serious with their job or really deployment of too much officers gave the hoodlums an advantage to overpower those left on ground.
ReplyDeleteWhen Abati lies, people listen. For every visit of GEJ to Lagos that I have witnessed and even independent visits by his wife, I see a large crowd of policemen as I av never seen before on the roads his long motorcade passes and I always wonder if he is scared of Lagosians and feels people would kill him or something. One question then rings in my mind, if all these men are drafted to guard the president, who is left to protect the citizens? I'm sure the residents and police around the robbed bank called for reinforcement but obviously none was available since they were busy on presidential duties elsewhere. These robbers were confident and bold enough to stop traffic on the road, do their business, carry guns like terrorist in public for a long time before leaving majestically after leaving pools of blood in their wake. There was even enough time for people to even make videos of them. Fashola may have attached the government frontal on these but it also brings us stuffs to think about. He even lamented that the patrol vehicles bought by the state government to assist the federal police in securing the state were all drafted into presidential duties. If truly the president is loved by Lagosians, he wouldn't need all our police guarding him.... LAGOSIANS would protect him. If his personal guards are specialist, we won't suffer hardships and traffic on the roads whenever the presidency visit. Abati and the police rep gave conflicting information anyway. One said they didn't draft a huge chunk of our police the other said the president needs all the protection he can get maybe so that the state that has rejected him won't harm him. May God forgive the Nigerian liars and may the souls lost RIP and may the robbers meet their waterloo
ReplyDeleteThe fact that people film a crime does not mean that the police is totally absent. The recent terrorist attack in France was filmed even with the unusually high police presence in Paris compared to other EU nations. It simply shows (like you said) the boldness of the robbers.
DeleteMy dear, you are spot on, very objective write up.
DeleteWithout prejudice to either side, I beleve government officials should show restraints in the use of abusive language. Nigerians deserve practicing PR professionals to repackage this drifting presidency, not a journalist like Abati that basks in his new found position and wealth. The simple question to ask was if large numbers of policemen were deployed for Jonathan's visit. A performing president that is truely elected by the people should not be scared of the people.
ReplyDeleteI think its sad the way Politics is played in Nigeria...it just shows how the political class view the country- a simple mine-field , and do not care much about the populace...Should it be about trading blames...gosh..pple lost their lives and here the so called leaders are bantering about the politics of it...I guess we should even blame Fashola as well...albeit the robbers stay in Lagos...these are not the things to trade blame..Nigeria is for us all irrespective of party affiliations and until we mature to put country first above other crap...we are going no where
ReplyDelete