How EdgaI Has Been Able To Check Crime In Lagos

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

When on Friday August 25, 2017, Edgal Imohimi assumed duty as the new Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, it was greeted with mixed feelings. Mixed feelings because his immediate boss, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, under whom he served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP in charge of Operations, was believed to be meeting the aspiration of the Lagosians in terms of taming the crime rate in a bustling mega city state of Lagos. But to some insiders, who understood the operations of Lagos State Command, Imohimi was a critical part of the success and thus his appointment was seen as nothing but a round peg in a round hole.

Until his promotion, Edgal, as DCP Operations knew not only the Lagos terrain, but had led several successfully raids of hideouts of notorious crime kingpins, and criminal gangs in different parts of Lagos. He had also served in various Commands and formations of the NPF within the country in several capacities but spent most of his days at the Lagos State Police Command. So, many within and outside the police circle knew that the police authorities had made the right choice of Edgal to handle the huge task and responsibility of policing a megacity like Lagos.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, acknowledged the fact that Edgal had been very familiar with the terrain having been in the State for long, and assured him of the support of the State Government to ensure his success in office.

The Governor said; “We are comfortable that he (Edgal) does not have to start trying to learn the ropes because he is very familiar with the security architecture of the State and the enormity of the assignment that has been given to him. On our part, we will ensure that we support him as well as men and officers of the State Command. What is most important to us is that we must keep the city safe. Lagos must be safer, Lagos must be cleaner and it is based on that we can invite investors to come in. That is when we can project our 24/7 economy and so we cannot afford not to have a vibrant police force. More importantly is the fact that we in government have decided that without a safe city, we cannot have a prosperous State and the prosperity and the peace that Lagos is enjoying now is actually founded on that fabric of the safety of lives and property”.

With the governor’s admonition, Edgal therefore hit the ground running on familiar terrains. By the time Edgal became the Commissioner, a cult group, popularly known as Badoo, was already on the rampage terrorizing residents of Ikorodu and its environs. The vicious group had killed scores of innocent people. The atrocious manner of the cult group operations had got many Lagosians very worried.

As a community policing expert, Edgal led a joint security operation involving members of the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC; Ikorodu Local Vigilante; the Department of State Security; Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps; ‎traditionalists and some local chiefs to tackle the menace. The Police were able to arrest scores of the notorious murderous gang and later got hold of a man alleged to be the herbalist of the gang named Fatai Adebayo alias Alese. With precision, Edgal succeeded in decimating the nuisance of the Badoo cult group in Ikorodu and Lagosians were assured of their safety.

The super cop also played a major role in the rescue of the six students of Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe, who were abducted on May 25, 2017. Edgal led members of the Force that compelled abductors of the kidnapped Epe students to free their captives in Ondo State. He also mobilised policemen from the Anti-Robbery and Kidnapping units of the Lagos Police, and their counterparts at the Marine Police to attack and kill members of the kidnap gang that attempted to snatch some police gunboats from the Marine Police Post in Ajah.

Available statistics showed that in the first quarter of 2018, the crime rate in Lagos dropped by 17%. This was made possible through various measures the CP had put in place to check the activities of cultists and drug dealers. Raids were been carried out in furtherance of clampdown on illicit drugs havens and also halting the proliferation of arms in the state.

Recently, through the relationship he had built with the members of the public, officers of the Lagos Command were able to round up and arrest some cultists who had gathered from different parts of the country in Lagos for initiation rituals in a thick bush.

Following barrage of complaints by members of the public, Edgal had opened dedicated Citizens Complaint Hot Centre lines. With that, the citizens can lodge complaints on any form of undue harassment by any member of the police force and the issues can be addressed squarely.

Edgal was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force, as a cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, on February 2, 1986. He is a 1984 graduate of Art from the University of Jos, Plateau State and has a Masters degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Lagos. He has a diploma degree in Police Science and also obtained a certificate of National Security for Nigeria Defence Intelligence, at the Centre of Strategic Studies, Galilee International Management Institute Israel and the Defence Intelligence College Abuja, which necessitated his appointment as the ACP in charge of the Intelligence at the Police Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Edgal is highly trained in Community and Intelligence Gathering Policing; he is an expert in community policing and had organised community policing summits lecturing participants on how to assist the police in community policing.

While Edgal would be ranked high in the task of policing Lagos, P.M.EXPRESS findings showed that a lot still needed to be done so that the public can build up genuine trust and confidence in the police under him.

Critics have been pointing out the need to enhance intelligence gathering. There have been complaints from members of the public about the way information volunteered to the police were being leaked to suspects thereby endangering their lives.

“CP Edgal must endeavour to look into that area and do something about that,” a concerned Lagosian told our correspondent.

The CP was also enjoined to be proactive and work towards improving the conduct of police officers especially at the Divisions and Area Commands.

“The task of policing a megacity like Lagos is huge and CP Edgal has performed creditably well. But issues related to bribery must be frontally addressed especially from mounting illegal checkpoints by his men and bail must truly be seen to be free across the state,” the man added.