By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Evelyn Usman

Lagos—The traditional ruler of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, has charged the people on the need to be more security conscious in their own interest.

Akiolu gave the charge yesterday, at the Lagos House in Ikeja, when he led the Lagos State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs to express their appreciation of the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and all the security agencies in the state for the successful rescue of the students of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School in Ikorodu, who were kidnapped by gunmen at their school on February 29.

In his response, Ambode said the primary purpose of any government is to ensure the security and welfare of the people, assuring that his administration would always  keep faith with that role.

Expert hails the rescue, Festac residents lament

Meantime, the President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, AISSON, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has commended the Police on the speedy rescue, of the three school girls.

He said it was instructive that “good detective work led to the identification of the authors of the crime and the eventual freedom of the abducted school girls”.

In a statement issued in Lagos, the security expert also urged the National Assembly to pass legislation on minimum security programs that must be put in place in schools.

However, in their reaction, residents of Festac town who also hailed the safe rescue of the students lamented that the force applied by the police in the rescue mission has been lacking in several cases of kidnapping in their area.

Speaking under the aegis of Festac Residents Association, they said in a statement that the police particularly, had treated several cases of kidnapping in Festac with levity and the victims had to part with heir hard-earned money as ransom.