I recently started paying attention to the Lagos Neighbourhood Security Corps (LNSC), you know those security agency whose staff wear yellow and blue; that is if you are in Lagos.
These days, everywhere you turn you see them or either their patrol cars. Motorcycles and even bicycles parked along the road. This piqued my interest and I went on the Internet and found that the agency was established in 2016 by Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to ‘assist the Police and other security agencies to maintain law and order in Lagos State.’
But what exactly is their job?
According to their website, their job description mirrors the job of local vigilante groups, only that they wear uniforms and they are not armed.
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The first question that came into my head was why they are dressed like minions? Whose bright idea was it to dress them in yellow and blue like cartoon characters? How do you want people to take them serious when they are dressed in blue and yellow?
Also, if they are going to do effective work of reporting local crime to the police and monitoring suspicious people and criminals, are they supposed to be in uniform? Do they patrol neighbourhoods at night like the local vigilante? Since the agency was created, have they actually assisted the police and other security agencies to solve criminal cases? Have they reported any ongoing or would-be crime? Have the rate of crime in Lagos State reduced?
I thought maybe I am the only one with the questions about the LNSC, so I decided to ask people around (not saying everyone I asked represents the entire population of Lagos o) but no one seems to know who or what the Corps represents. Lagosians just woke up one morning, and boom, uniformed people in yellow and blue are patrolling the streets.
Besides, are the laws that created the Corps clearly spelt out on what they can do or can’t do? Are people aware of how the LNSC can help in reducing crime in their localities? Are citizens aware of the job description of the LNSC and their boundaries? Because we know ourselves in this Lagos, a little uniform and someone gets power drunk and wants to oppress other people.
“Do you know who I am?”
“You know who I be?”
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I am asking these questions because I don’t know and there are no information on the Internet. From my current POV, it just looks like a very idealistic project. I know people work there; I also acknowledge it is a source of livelihood for many people, so I am not trying to knock anybody’s hustle; I am just asking how effective is this Lagos Neighbourhood Security Corps? Who verifies the employees? Do they undergo any training? Apart from the patrol cars and bikes they ride in, are they equipped to even do their duty properly? If criminals realize it was a staff of LNSC who snitched on them are there any arrangements by the Lagos State government to keep them safe?
Questions, questions and more questions but who has the answers for us?
