By Olasunkanmi Akoni

LAGOS—Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, maintained that the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the state last Thursday was partly responsible for the smooth robbery operation at a commercial bank in Lekki axis of the state during which four people were killed, including three policemen, saying “the president was protected by 2,123 security personnel same day.”

Fashola said this at the 2015 Agric Value Chains Empowerment programme held in Agege Local Government, adding that the President’s visit to the state depleted the security apparatus to a large extent to deal with the armed robbery incident.

The governor noted that larger per cent of the vehicles bought by the state government through the State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, for policing the state were on alert for the president.

According to him, “When the president came to Lagos last Thursday, while citizens were being robbed, the president was protected by 2,123 security personnel.  “Let me be very clear, the president is entitled to every protection, he’s our president. And the reason the president gets all that protection is so that he can protect all of us. But the question to ask is that; when you were being traumatized yesterday (Monday), where were these 2,123 men, because you are also entitled to be protected.

On OPC protest

On the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC and the pro-Jonathan Group rally on Monday, the governor said; “Yesterday, (Monday) I received telephone calls and text messages and electronic mails from residents who explained to me the pains they went through. I am sorry for the pain and trauma they put you through because residents continuously complained yesterday (Monday) that they were traumatised by those people who supposedly were carrying out a rally in support of the president and their governorship candidate.

“So instead of canvassing for your votes, they were showing you knives, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons. Some residents phoned to say that they were banging on their cars. Let me remind all of us, that the work of a party and a government is to protect citizens and not to terrorize them.’’ Meantime, the State government has described the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abatti as a “reckless talker” following his disparaging words on Governor Babatunde Fashola.

Abati had described Fashola, as “unintelligent” over his comments on the deployment of police during the visit of the President Goodluck Jonathan to Lagos last week.   Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba, who made the remarks in a statement yesterday, said it was obvious that Abati is ignorant of the traffic and security menace, his principal constitutes whenever he visits any part of the country.

According to him, “It should also interest the ‘Vuvuzuela’ of President Jonathan that during these visits, which most of the times are for campaign hustles, the entire police and other security network are put on high alert to pay attention to the presidential visit leaving the citizens vulnerable to the reckless gallivanting of the visitor.