Ambode tells FG to relocate Ikoyi Prisons

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has made a case for the Federal Government to relocate the Ikoyi Prisons, saying the state government is ready to make land available elsewhere to build a modern and well-equipped prison.

The Ikoyi Prisons, like other prisons around Nigeria, is heavily congested, with close to 2,000 inmates out of which about 1,671 are awaiting trial.

Ambode made the request when Abdulrahman Dambazau, Nigeria’s minister of interior, led a delegation of heads of agencies and parastatals under the Ministry of Interior to Lagos House, Ikeja, on Wednesday, just as he emphasised the need for the government at the centre to partner state governments in combating fire disasters and influx of illegal migrants.

The governor said federal agencies such as the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), Federal Fire Service and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), among others, needed to work closely with relevant agencies at the state level to strengthen internal security in order to drive development.

“Without security, there cannot be any development. I want to let you know that this administration is driven on tripod of action plan of security, job creation, investment opportunities and infrastructure development.

“We believe strongly that if we have a secured state, we will be able to create a platform for job opportunities for the people, and where we are able to do that, we are inviting local and foreign investors to the state. We will also be able to use the taxes we get on those jobs to improve on the infrastructure in the state. So, that is the tripod that the administration is built upon,” the governor said.

Dambazau commended Ambode for the investment in security of lives and property in Lagos. It would be recalled that the Ambode-led government recently donated equipment worth N4.8 billion to the police – three helicopters, patrol vehicles, gun boats, power bikes, among others.

The minister, who is in Lagos on a three-day tour of facilities and infrastructure of security agencies in the state, said: “This is the hub of public safety and security in this country. We know that Lagos State is the vanguard in support of the Ministry of Interior.”

JOSHUA BASSEY