Kidnapping: We plan 5,000 neighbourhood watchers to boost security —Ambode

Against the backdrop of recent spate of kidnapping being recorded in Lagos State, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday, disclosed plans by the state government to recruit at least, 5,000 neighbourhood watchers to boost security across the state, with new recruits expected to earn at least, N25, 000 monthly, with other allowances.

Governor Ambode  said this at the 3rd quarter 2016 town hall meeting, held at the Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere,  adding  that the Neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill, which he signed into law on August 15, 2016, was part of efforts to institutionalise and deepen community policing in the state.

This is just as the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, who lamented the rejection by the senate of a bill seeking special status for Lagos, expressed optimism that the bill would still become law in the nearest future.

“We will rebrand neighborhood watchers and re-equip them to the level that each neighborhood watchers in all the local governments, will have their vehicles and necessary equipment to complement security.

“We are also working on employing additional 5,000 neighborhood watchers in all our local governments and they will be paid by us while the basic salary for the entrance level will be N25, 000 per month,”  he  said.

The governor also said that the state government would roll out all its empowerment programmes next week.

He said the programmes targeted to assist youths, artisans and the needy to  become self reliant, had been provided, hence, beneficiaries would start getting support from the last quarter of the year.

“We will roll out all our empowerment programmes immediately to assist all our youths, artisans and the needy. The funding for the N500million Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund, has been provided and beneficiaries will start getting support from this quarter,”  he said.

On 2016 budget performance,  he   said that for January to September, they performed at 69 per cent as against 65 per cent for the same period in 2015.