The Lagos State Police Command has threatened
to clamp down on hotels, brothels, bars and hospitality homes that allow drug
peddlers to use their premises for illicit businesses.
Also on police watch
are owners of business premises that criminals use to plan their nefarious
activities as well as serve drinks and drugs to underage children.
Commissioner of Police,
Imohimi Edgal, at a stakeholders meeting with hoteliers brothel owners and
hospitality industry managers at the weekend, said the rate at which club goers
use drugs unchallenged was becoming too embarrassing and alarming, making it
look as if drug peddling and usage are normal and legal.
The CP said the most
annoying aspect was that underage children are employed in brothels as
prostitutes and/or allowed to freely use all manners of illicit drugs.
He said: “Intelligence
report at my disposal has shown clearly that drug peddlers use your premises to
sell drugs and the end users use your toilets, bathrooms and kitchens to take
the stuffs and this is not acceptable to me. I also discovered that the brothel
owners are employing underage girls as prostitutes. It is not as if the police
do not know that running brothels is a crime on its own but when we clamp down
on you, the rate of rape will increase. But we will clamp on those of you who
allow underage girls in your premises. We are going to deal with hoteliers that
allow drugs in their premises.
“Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode wants a 24- hour economy. We will achieve it with stakeholders in
nightlife businesses such as hotels and nightclubs. The fact that we want Lagos
to run 24 hours does not mean that we have to endanger the lives of our
children. We need to protect them. I have set up a 10-man committee to look
into the issue and get back to me within six weeks. I am going to set up a
special task force that will assist the serious business owners who will comply
with the recommendations of the 10-man committee. We are going to jointly
regain our society from drug peddlers. Crime goes with drugs; it is after
taking drugs that hoodlums have the courage to execute their nefarious activities.
“What we want is that
hospitality homes, bars, beaches and nightclubs should have modern scanners,
metal detector and closed circuit television (CCTV) that will monitor the
activities of customers. Through the hand scanners, you will be able to
discover hoodlums who are armed and you will immediately contact the special
squad that I will constitute. I am aware that criminals hibernate in some
hotels to plan their nefarious activities. This will not be condoned. He who
have ears, let him hear. The government is behind me in this war of reclaiming
our state from drug peddlers and I will do everything within my disposal to
make Lagos run a 24-hour economy. We shall clamp down on stakeholders who are
not ready for business.
“I am happy that a man from Ikorodu said
that night life has finally resumed in the area. Before my arrival as the
Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of operations, the Badoo cult group was
killing people and wiping out families. So, there was fear and apprehension
that people were no longer comfortable. Hospitality businesses closed shops and
nightlife died a natural death but I moved against the cult group. Today,
nightlife has returned to Ikorodu and I am happy about it. The achievement was
made possible with the partnership between the locals and the police. This is
the kind of synergy that we are expecting with you people to enable us have a
state free of crime, a state that people will be proud to do 24-hours business
and be happy. We want a state where citizens will wake up anytime and visit wherever they want to go.”
- Sun News
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