Lagos Government Defends Plan To Buy Additional Helicopters

Posted by African Examiner Lagos, Latest Headlines, News, News From The State Wednesday, November 4th, 2015

By Ayo Balogun

The Lagos State Government has defended its plan to purchase additional three helicopters to confront high rate of crime in the metropolis.

The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde in a statement he issued Wednesday, insisted that the purchase had become necessary to beef up surveillance and ensure the security of lives and property of residents.

Mr. Ayorinde explained that the helicopters would complement ground efforts of security operatives in checking crimes in the state, insisting that the precarious security and traffic situation in the state necessitated the move.

The Commissioner added that government had painstakingly studied the situation and subsequently resolved to unlock the traffic gridlock daily being experienced by residents with a motivated workforce and modern technology.

Ayorinde also condemned attacks on innocent citizens and vowed that the State Government would not fold its arms and watch the residents, molested and dispossessed of their belongings in traffic and every part of the State.

While noting that every available security measure would be adopted to fight crime, the State image maker indicated: “the 33,000 policemen serving in the state with estimated 21 million people is grossly inadequate, thus necessitating complementary efforts from the government’’.

The Commissioner assured that the helicopters would go a long way in aiding security and traffic surveillance and urged the residents to always alert security operatives of any form of crime within their vicinity, using dedicated and toll free lines 767 and 112.

It would be recalled Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on October 25, gave the hint on the State’s Government plan to buy more helicopters to shore up security and surveillance.