Lagos to fight crime, tackle traffic with helicopters 

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode says the state is closing a deal on the acquisition of three helicopters next month to assist the police in aerial surveillance and combat rising insecurity in Nigeria’s biggest economy state.

By the time the helicopters arrive, it will bring to five the number of helicopters Lagos would acquire for the purposes of emergency, rescue and security surveillance. The last administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola acquired two.

The last one month had seen banks being broken into broad day light with undisclosed sums running into millions of naira being carted away by armed bandits in Festac Town, with two persons (mother and child) falling by stray bullets as the police failed to adequately respond.

Traffic robbery in Lagos seems to be reaching the crescendo as the criminals now leisurely walk away with their loots unchallenged. Last week, traffic robbers at the Constain area reportedly shot two motorists, as Lagos is home to traffic congestion compounded by bad roads and high number of vehicles on the roads.

Ambode, who spoke as guest on a popular radio programme – Soni Irabor Live (SIL) on Inspiration FM, said he was deeply concerned about pockets of robberies in some areas of the state in recent times, expressing optimism that the helicopters would go a long way to aid security and traffic surveillance in the state.

He said the government would also boost the operations of Marine Police and the Nigerian Navy on the waterways in the state, and that various equipment and platforms would soon be presented to them.