Bolanle Raheem: Lagosians Warn CP against Sending Ajah Officers to their Communities

Rebecca Ejifoma

The order of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi to immediately transfer all its officers from the Ajah Police Station has evoked mixed reactions, as Lagosians warned the CP against sending those officers to their communities.

The CP made this move following the cruel killing of a pregnant Lagos Lawyer, Bolanle Raheem after she was shot dead on Christmas Day by ASP Drambi Vandi, in the Ajah area of Lagos State.

Reacting to the post by the State Police Spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, on the transfer of the officers on Monday, a concerned Lagosian on Twitter, @Lan66c pleaded inquisitively: “Please, don’t bring those bad eggs to Igando, Alimosho in the name of God.

“The peace and well-behaved officers we are enjoying here now, we have never had such in history. Even transporters and citizens are enjoying it now.”

He further appealed to the spokesman to “Help us appreciate the DPO there; he is doing well.” Adding to it in the Pidgin English, he claimed, “No violence in Igando again. We are the law-abiding citizens of this great country. As it stands, other communities need to learn from us”.

 Hundeyin had responded to the dismantling of shanties promoting the sale of alcoholic drinks in the Ajah area as seen on Twitter.

Again, another Lagosian, @Olota48 protested: “They should not transfer them (the officers from Ajah) to Ikotun, please. The ones here are doing great now.”

Another Twitter user, @Stuntvinny asked Hundeyin, “Bro, I hope some of these guys won’t be transferred to Ile Epo or Meiran. Because there are a lot of places near the stations in these two places where alcoholic beverages are sold. May we not hear or see the death of citizens by police in these areas soon.”

For @Kaptainamos, her reaction reads: “Please, is it best to have all new personnel police an area they are new to? Won’t that be counterproductive? Knowing the landscape is also material to policing, right?”

While @Laredo80 suggested that those transferred police officers from Ajah division might be useful in the fight against “Bandits/ISWAP in the Northwest/East as they are good with their guns. The IGP should look into that. He (IGP) might be wasting their talents if they are retained in any of the southern states”.

Another Twitter user, @Yinkus772003, cautioned that replacement without retraining and reorientation is just transferring the problem to another area. But one Prestige, @oke_olabode, commends the efforts of the CP. “This should be the standard nationwide.

Meanwhile, Lagosians listed other police stations with similar alcoholic patronage, shanties, and newly constructed shops in front of police stations. They include Layeni in Ajegunle, Ikotun, Igando, Railway Police station at Agege FKJ, Zone 2 Police Headquarters at Onikan, Festac Town Police Station, and Area J stations.