That the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, has redeployed Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP) Kayode Aderanti, to Force Headquarters and his Ogun State counterpart is no longer news.
What might be news is that their redeployments may not be unconnected with the spate of armed robbery, kidnapping and other related incidents in Lagos and Ogun States in recent times.
A competent source at the Force Headquarters in Abuja told our Correspondent that the IGP Arase had earlier told the two CPs that they were not in charge at their respective states.
For instance, there is absence of surveillance, intelligence and effective patrol unit in many Police divisions in this states. The directive by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase, that these sensitive units be set up in all Police divisions across the nation, was never adhered to by the Police management in Lagos and Ogun states.
According to a release by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Shogunle, a Chief Superintendent, two other state police bosses in Ogun and Rivers States were also redeployed.
The release stated that Arase took the decision to inject fresh ideas into the security architecture in Lagos, Rivers and Ogun states.
Aderanti, would be replaced by CP Fatai Owoseni, formerly in-charge of administration at the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Chris Ezike and Abdulmajid Ali will take charge of Rivers and Ogun State commands respectively.
“It is expected that the new postings will reverse the crime wave in the affected states, while also strengthening administration in the affected strategic Force Headquarters formations,” the statement stressed.
The resurgence of robbers and kidnappers in Lagos and Ogun States metropolis and neighbouring communities have become a source of worry to residents.
The recent armed robbery in Ikorodu in which hoodlums attacked commercial banks for several hours without any response from the police appears to have put an end to Aderanti’s tenure as the state’s police boss.
According to sources within the command, the redeployment of key officers in the state command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) must have given the hoodlums terrorising Lagos now a new lease of life as the unit that had been a thorn in the flesh of the men of the underworld is now comatose.
