President of LERSA, Olorogun James Emadoye, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
Following the looting and destruction of properties by thugs across the country, Lekki Estate Residents and Stakeholders Association has urged residents of the area to be security-conscious and vigilant.
President of LERSA, Olorogun James Emadoye, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
According to Emadoye, major police stations including the Area Command in Ajiwe were totally destroyed and burnt down while criminals including armed robbers and cultist were released into the community.
The statement reads, “As stated during our emergency online meeting on security challenges and the vulnerability of Lekki axis held on Sunday, Oct 25, 2020 with all member estates and stakeholders, we noticed the wanton destructions of properties all along the axis. I expressed shock that in some cases, properties were razed and burnt down after the looting and noted that most estates with businesses including malls and public offices were affected. The depth of the damage is indescribable.
“The major police stations including the Area Command in Ajiwe which also had living quarters for police personnel and their families, Ikota and Elemoro police stations, were totally destroyed and burnt down while criminals including armed robbers and cultist were released into the community. The places of worship with the Area Command were also not spared. Many of the police officers and in some cases, their families, have been displaced and rendered homeless and all their personal effects and possessions including vehicles (both official and personal) were destroyed.
“The immediate impact of the above report is that currently, the entire length of the axis is “unpoliced”. There are no visible policemen in the area and that is a fact. Several operational vehicles have also been destroyed and razed in the destruction. This fact is however not lost on the criminal elements including robbers, cultists and opportunistic criminals in the area, and as we speak, the criminals know that distress calls to the law enforcement agencies will go unanswered and both the victim and criminal know police is not coming.
“It is not unreasonable to anticipate that criminal elements will begin to exploit this big vulnerability as our stakeholders are left exposed. This is one of the unique times in our adult history that many have experienced this regional vulnerability and taking a risk-based look at the situation, the situation is very dire and calls for immediate intervention by the community. As we speak, there are no functioning local police offices within 20-30 miles of most residents and what is worse is that those police units may not have the jurisdiction to even entertain your petition or request so things are in very bad shape to put it mildly. This may be the case for an indefinite period unless we intervene now.”