By Evelyn Usman
LAST week, about nine persons , led by one Alhaja Silifatu Olomowewe converged in front of a building on Ojo street in the densely populated Mushin area of Lagos to protest the alleged detention of  the Alhaja’s son by operatives of the Federal Special anti-Robbery Squad.

However, next day, news filtered round that the residents were protesting against incessant crimes in the area, thereby necessitating Crime Alert to visit there..

Alhaja Silifatu Olomowewe and Oba Oba of Odi-Olowo, Oba Fatai Adisa Irawo

This reporter’s first port of call was Alhaja Silifatu’s house ,where she disclosed that her son, Monsuru Babatunde was arrested two months ago,while on his way to work. Her 28-year-old son according to her, was alleged to be amourer of a warring faction that has been terrorizing the area before the situation was checked by the Lagos State Police Command. On  that day, I was at home when I heard he had been arrested over claims that he was the one supplying arms to a warring faction. Since then, we have visited Federal SARs where we were asked to bring N1 Million before he would be released. As I speak, he is at Ikoyi prison”

That was why I came out last week pleading to my people around to help me appeal to the authorities concerned . Some of them joined me and we carried placards .We only staged the peaceful protest in front of my compound here. We did not walk round the street”, she clarified.

From there, this reporter visited the palace of  the Oba  of Odi-Olowo, Oba Fatai Adisa Irawo Ogunsi,where he extolled the effort of the Police in Lagos for its ability to restore peace in the area. According to him, Mushin has been calm for a very long time . There is no problem in Mushin,neither did my people protest over any crime. . As far as I am concerned, none of my people reported any act of violence or even two fighting before, during or after Salla. There was no act of lawlessness in any part of the area, or even two fighting. In fact, I can say that this has been the most  peaceful end of Ramadan we have ever witnessed. .

For instance, no single child was lost .  Before now,people would  come naturally to say their children are  missing. This is a pointer to the fact that there are better things ahead in terms of security in Mushin in particular and Lagos state in general. All we employ the police to do is to keep up with the tempo” Crime Alert investigation revealed that the seeming calm in the area could not be unconnected with the strategic measures put on ground by  the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko on assumption.

It was gathered that he detailed all Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers to take the issue of security serious in their respective domains. In some crime prone areas of which Mushin was among, the CP was said to have instructed the area ‘D’ commander and all DPO to map out security strategy aimed at nipping activities of hoodlums and social miscreants in the bud.

Before the Sallah celebration, the CP as gathered, directed all DPOs to maintain a 24 hour surveillance  of their jurisdiction, instructing that none of them should leave their divisions at night. And to ensure the directive was strictly adhered to , the no- nonsense CP  reportedly paid a surprise visit to the divisions at night.