Lagos Assembly Targets Scrap Dealers, Vandals in Push to Protect Public Infrastructure

Lagos Assembly Targets Scrap Dealers, Vandals in Push to Protect Public Infrastructure
Calls for Stronger Local Surveillance, Tougher Sanctions
Wants Neighbourhood Security Corps Better Equipped to Fight Vandalism

The Lagos State House of Assembly has called for stronger community-level security and tougher prosecution of public infrastructure vandals and those who facilitate the trade in stolen government property.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that the lawmakers made the call during Monday’s plenary, following concerns over the growing destruction of public facilities, particularly in FESTAC.

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The Assembly urged the Lagos State Government to adequately equip and train the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps and other community-based security outfits to strengthen surveillance and prevent the vandalism of roads, bridges and other government infrastructure.

The lawmakers also stressed that the fight against vandalism should go beyond arresting those who physically destroy public facilities, insisting that individuals and businesses that buy, sell or profit from stolen government property must also be investigated and prosecuted.

The debate followed a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Ikorodu II, Moshood Aro, who expressed concern over the destruction of infrastructure funded with taxpayers’ money.

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Aro said vandalism placed an additional financial burden on residents because government would be forced to spend more public funds repairing or replacing facilities that had already been provided.

“It baffles me that some residents of Lagos ought to be experiencing this kind of situation, knowing that we are paying for these facilities with our money,” he said.

The lawmaker called for greater scrutiny of individuals and businesses involved in the purchase of scrap materials from suspected vandals, arguing that disrupting the market for stolen public assets was critical to ending infrastructure vandalism.

He also urged authorities to ensure that suspects arrested for vandalising public infrastructure were properly prosecuted rather than released without facing legal consequences.

“Persons arrested for vandalising public infrastructure should not be released without proper prosecution and, where found guilty, should be sentenced accordingly,” Aro said.

He further called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, security bodies and communities to tackle the problem.

Supporting the motion, Speaker of the Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, said authorities must target both the vandals and those who facilitate the illegal trade in stolen public assets.

Obasa also urged ministries, departments and agencies responsible for enforcing environmental and infrastructure-related laws to ensure that relevant legislation was properly communicated and effectively implemented.

The Speaker called for increased support for local security structures, including the Neighbourhood Watch and Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, saying they could play a more effective role in detecting and preventing criminal activities if provided with adequate resources.

Contributing to the debate, Lawal Olumegbon urged closer cooperation between the state government and the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas to tackle infrastructure vandalism at the community level.

Stephen Ogundipe also noted that the problem was not limited to a particular constituency, saying the destruction of public infrastructure was affecting communities across Lagos.

The lawmakers consequently called for a coordinated approach combining stronger community surveillance, improved funding and training for local security personnel, effective investigation and prosecution, as well as tougher sanctions for those involved in the vandalism and illegal trade in government property.