Residents of Agbole/Moshalasi Street in Ejigbo area of Lagos State say they still live in fear even after the demolition of the notorious criminal hideout in the area called Agbole.
Community Bell learnt that the Ejigbo Local Government Development Council Area and operatives from Ejigbo Police Station led by CSP Olabisi Okuwobi, demolished the hideout on March 3.
A cross-section of the residents who hailed the demolition, however, said that the continued presence of bandits in the area after the demolition still evokes fear in the residents.
A cleric, Usthman Tijani, said that the government’s decision to demolish the hideout was commendable.
Tijani, however, called on government not to stop at the demolition of shanties but maintain regular surveillance of the area and to beef up security of lives and property of the residents.
In his words, “we appreciate what the council has done. It’s a step in the right direction. We want to still appeal to government to provide more security. We still see these boys hanging around so we talk about the demolition in hushed tones”.
“More security around here is needed in order to make this area safe for our children,’’ the cleric said.
Community Bell reports that Agbole has been notorious for years as a den of criminal suspects, including drug peddlers, prostitutes and kidnappers.
A tailor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity described the demolition of the shanties as commendable.
“I still go home with some of my expensive sowing equipment because of some strange faces that we keep seeing here.
“The demolition is commendable but we still need the government to provide more security for us.
“We cannot even openly show how happy we are over the demolition for fear of being threatened or attacked,’’ she said.
An elderly businesswoman, who described the demolition as a bold step, urged government to do more by providing 24-hour surveillance in the area.
“I commend the council, a lot of administrations had tried, but always chickened out at the last minute.
“But demolishing their hideout is just one phase of what needs to be done.
“They are still hanging around, so 24 hours surveillance is what I think we need here to effectively clamp down on crime.
“I believe when these bad boys and girls see that government is not joking, they will relocate out of our community,’’ she said.
Mr Kunle Oladele, Media Officer to the council Chairman, Alhaji Monsurudeen Bello, said that his boss was committed to the welfare and security of lives and property of residents and that residents would continue to ensure that residents enjoyed adequate security under his watch.
“Residents are assured that we will demolish more criminal hideouts but we need the support of the residents of Ejigbo LCDA.
“Adequate information from appropriate quarters is vital. So assist government with useful information that we can work with,’’ Oladele said.
