Lagos tightens security at Badagry border over child theft

The Lagos State Government has stepped up measures to tackle child theft and illegal abduction in the Badagry axis, identifying the area’s border location as a factor facilitating the activities of suspected child traffickers.

The Secretary to the State Government, Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, disclosed this on Wednesday during the state’s bi-monthly meeting with heads of security agencies and parliamentary affairs in Ikeja.

Salu-Hundeyin said the government had intensified its security meetings to ensure that emerging threats were identified and addressed at the grassroots.

She said the meetings, previously held quarterly, were now conducted every two months because of emerging security concerns across the state.

“It’s another bi-monthly meeting with the Head of Parliamentary Affairs and Heads of Security Agencies of the state. First, let me tell you, it’s no more quarterly. It’s bi-monthly now. So, we meet more often because we’ve realised that there are security issues,” she said.

According to the SSG, child theft was among the major issues discussed at the meeting, with reports indicating that the Badagry axis had become a hotspot for criminal activity.

“I want to tell you one of the touching ones about child theft. I call it child theft. You know, people that steal other people’s children and go and sell them.

“And this is so sad because, in this particular case, the woman has been charged to court. So, I can talk about it. And they even have a kind of clinic. She does it in conjunction with her own husband. You know, it’s really sad,” she said.

She explained that Badagry’s location along an international border made it easier for suspects involved in child trafficking to evade arrest.

“According to the report, most of this particular criminal activity happens mostly around the Badagry axis. Why we are talking about data and knowing locations is so that we know why it is happening there and what can be done. It’s simply because Badagry is a border town. So, they can easily escape,” Salu-Hundeyin said.

She added that the state government would increase security infrastructure in the area, including the installation of additional security lights.

“So, we now know that we have to put more lights, I mean, security lights, on that area,” she said.

Salu-Hundeyin further disclosed that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons would provide the state government with updated statistics on child trafficking cases, including convictions and pending cases.

“And the NAPTIP officer had promised to give us accurate statistics. I can’t tell you those statistics now because she didn’t come with the accurate ones. But she was able to tell us how many convictions are pending, those that have been convicted and all that, and the areas that they happen,” she said.

The SSG said the government was coordinating efforts through relevant ministries and agencies, including the Ministries of Youth and Women Affairs, to combat child theft and trafficking.

“Because when we’re talking about children, we’re talking about the future of the country, the future of the state. It’s very saddening that people will do that to innocent children. And so, we’re not taking it easy,” she said.

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Salu-Hundeyin also linked some criminal activities to mental health concerns, saying the state government was expanding mental health infrastructure as part of its broader response to social challenges.

She disclosed that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was building what she described as the biggest mental health hospital in Africa, which she said would soon be commissioned.

The SSG said the state was also strengthening community-level security through the Lagos State Neighbourhood Watch and regular engagements with local government secretaries, Community Development Committees and Community Development Associations.

“We also hold meetings with the secretaries of the local governments. We also discuss security issues there so that they can go back to communities, CDCs and CDAs. We can see what’s going on,” she said.

Salu-Hundeyin also disclosed that the meeting examined concerns over the safety of some bridges in the state following reports from a representative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

She said the concerns would be forwarded to the relevant ministries, departments and agencies for necessary action.

Meanwhile, during a separate meeting with members of the Lagos Police Community Relations Committee, Salu-Hundeyin commended the organisation for its proactive approach to security and community engagement.

She said the committee’s activities had complemented the efforts of the state government and security agencies in promoting peace and safety across Lagos.

“If I say that we’re not always grateful to you, it’s an understatement. We’re really grateful because the office is being seen the way it is seen because of what you’re doing. So I would say that we are because you are,” she said.

The SSG particularly praised the committee’s efforts to educate residents on electoral processes, noting that voter education could help reduce election-related violence.

She said, “If you teach people how to conduct themselves before and during an election, it’s also a security issue. Because people will then know you’re educating them on their rights as voters.”

Salu-Hundeyin urged the committee to sustain its public enlightenment campaigns ahead of future elections, stressing that elections should be seen as a civic responsibility rather than a conflict.

“We’ve spoken to DPOs, we’ve spoken to all that, to say that, look, how do people tend to appreciate that election is not war? It is a civic duty that we must perform to make sure that we exercise our democratic rights and to have whoever we desire to lead us,” she said.

She added that voter education would help residents understand that elections gave them the power to freely choose their leaders.

“Election, the way I see what you’re doing, is like a mirror of governance, kind of, that if you exercise your rights well, you will get the right government you want. And people need to know that, especially at this time,” Salu-Hundeyin said.