As Security Agents scamper for safety, Could Lagos be the next Kano?

Kano was unprepared for the attack, is Lagos any more prepared?

We heard the revelations of security agents scaling fences, and scampering for safety, even the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1 was not innocent of running to protect dear life.

If our armed and trained security personnel are scampering for safety, then what hope do ordinary civilians have. It appears the only hope is that Boko Haram does not come visiting in your area and this is not good enough for the Federal Government that has a constitutional right to protect Nigerians.

On a daily basis in many parts of Lagos, there are security checkpoints manned by members of the Nigerian Police Force, however these checkpoints are more like tolling booths for the commercial buses, occasional motorists, and frequent okada drivers. Basically the policemen have turned into illegal revenue collectors for private criminal organizations empowered by lack of government oversight and lack of the will to fight corruption by Nigerians and their leaders.

How does a policeman who is stuffing his pockets with Naira respond to the sudden sound of gunshots or a bomb blast? You do not need a psychologist to tell you he is going to take to his heels.

Lagos is ill-prepared as our security agents are more wired to seek out personal gains on their job than protect public welfare. Lagos could quite easily be the next Kano.

To avert this, the Federal and/or State Government needs to call our security agencies to order. They need to be read the riot act. Since our government has made it clear that it is unable to conduct sweeping reforms to the leadership of the security organizations, then it must have a heart-to-heart talk with the leadership that would resonate within its rank and file.

Why is everybody acting like because it happened in Kano, Bauchi, Yobe, Jos etc its okay? As if everything will be just fine and dandy if the bombing melee stays in the North. We in the commercial cities in the south such as Lagos can continue to live like we are insulated from what is going on around us in the country, or we can begin to voice our concerns. If Boko Haram hit Kano, then Lagos is a stone throw away from Boko Haram’s capabilities.