Lagos Police Barracks Turns Thorough Fare

Residents of Obalende Police Barracks, Obalende, Lagos, South West Nigeria and some concerned residents of the area have cried out to the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, to urgently find a solution to the security threat the barracks pose to them and its porousness to private and commercial vehicles as well as motorcyclists, who have turned it to a thorough fare to access other parts of the area unchallenged.

Some of the residents who spoke with Lagos Bulletin said it appears the police authorities are underrating the security of their lives and property and those of their visitors by allowing just anybody to continue to use the barracks as thorough fare, adding that the police should not wait for any dangerous thing to happen before the security laxity is checkmated.

They therefore called on the Inspector General and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, to take an urgent look into the matter in order to forestall any unforeseen circumstances.

According to a resident of the barracks who craved for anonymity, “because of the porousness of this place, some of our properties, including vehicles have been stolen times without number as people just walk into the barracks unchallenged by the authority. This place is built for policemen and their families to have rest of mind and because of the nature of the job they do, but here in Obalende, it is a different thing entirely and we will be very grateful if restriction of movement of outsiders could be enforced to, at least, give us a rest of mind.”

Mr. Tajudeen Olabode, another resident of the area, stated that the police should tighten security in the barracks, as, according to him, anything can happen with trend of kidnapping taking place everywhere across the country in recent times.

Observation by Lagos Bulletin revealed that both private and commercial vehicles as well as motorcyclists pass through the barracks unhindered any time of the day, a situation considered to be very dangerous.

—Paul Iyoghojie