Lagos State Governor,? Babatunde Fashola, yesterday threatened to revoke the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of any property in the state rented to armed robbers or used for the perpetuation of criminal activities.
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Fashola, who dangled the axe at the 5th Town Hall meeting of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF)? held at the Civic Centre Lagos, said that the State government? would not only revoke the title but will also acquire the building for public use.
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The governor said his administration established the LSSTF in 2007 to tackle the challenge of insecurity that had left most residents jittery and noted that the insecurity was also seen as threat to the mega city development dream of the administration .
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According to him, lots of lives were being lost to crime on a daily basis in traffic, bank robberies and home invasions and added that this was further compounded by the inability of the law enforcement agencies to procure equipment that would enable them fight crime.
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Fashola, who said that all these were gradually fading out as the fund has consistently provided equipment for the police to combat crime however remarked that the huge success recorded due to the intervention from the trust fund equally brought the challenges of massive migration of many people into the state.
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He stressed the need for more collaboration and commended the individuals and corporate bodies who have contributed to the fund even as he lauded some school children who he said supported with their pocket money,??
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“The vehicles have aged and need to be replaced. The demands are new, the methods of the criminals are changing and they are investing in their business in order to put our own lives and businesses at risk” he added.
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Giving the crime statistics of the state, the State Commissioner of police, Mr Yakubu Alkali, said that in the year under review, a total of 522 armed robbers were arrested, 164? died during encounter with the police, 328 arms? and 3, 553 ammunition? recovered from robbers in the State.
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“1448 vehicles (791 snatched, 622 vehicles removed from park and 35 driven away from car park) were stolen, 61 armed robbery incidents, and 319 murder cases were recorded in the last one year.”