Sanwo-Olu raises police morale, donates 150 vehicles, motorbikes, others against crime

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu may have boosted the morale of the police in fighting crime by giving the state police 150 vehicles, four high-capacity troop carriers, 30 patrol cars and two anti-riot water cannon vehicles.

He said the vehicles and other facilities were donated to the police as part of efforts to strengthen security responses across the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who was visiting the state, inaugurated the equipment before Governor Sanwo-Olu handed the items over to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, for the use of Lagos Police Command.

The gadgets were procured through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund – an autonomous agency that partners with the private sector and individuals to provide vital support to security agencies.

Buhari said the equipment would go a long way in boosting the morale of the police, and enhance their capacity to fight crime.

Sanwo-Olu said the investment in the security gadgets was timely, given the setback recorded in security operations occasioned by the violence that followed the EndSARS protests, last October.

The state’s police command, the governor said, suffered losses in infrastructure and logistics, while the morale of the personnel dropped as a result of the impact.

The governor said, “Lagos had felt the negative effects of the loophole in security architecture, accounting for a rising wave of criminal activities by hoodlums seeking to take advantage of vulnerability.

“No society can survive without a motivated and well-equipped police force.

“Hoodlums and criminals know this; hence, the relentless attacks on police installations nationwide. It is our responsibility as Government to ensure that criminals’ nefarious aims are not achieved. They seek to demoralise and destabilise the police and other law enforcement agents, but we will continue to boldly proclaim, ‘Not on our watch’.”