900 CCTV cameras deployed in Lagos
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola
Over 900 closed-circuit television, CCTV, cameras have been deployed in Lagos State and already supplying video footages to relevant agencies, State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Adebiyi Mabadeje, has said.
Mabadeje, at a briefing in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, said that the current deployment of the CCTV by the Federal Government was not in conflict with the earlier efforts by the state government.
According to him, the state would soon embark on the pilot resident registration exercise, which would enable the government to collect, collate and manage a database of all residents.
He noted that the state government had advertised and called for the expression of interest by private investors with requisite expertise and funding for “a world-class’’ forensic laboratory under a Public-Private Partnership in which the government will provide land in Badagry.
Mabadeje stressed that the state government expects to receive inputs from the Federal Government and
security agencies in executing the project, which he claimed would save the state hard-earned foreign exchange expended in carrying out forensic investigations and studies on crime and health-related matters overseas.
… as Lagos arrests 120 criminals
By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Oloowopejo
NO fewer than 120 criminals, pretending to be beggars, have been arrested and prosecuted in the last one year by the Lagos State Government.
The government also said seven persons were sentenced to a minimum of seven years imprisonment for violating the state child rights law through the state family court.
Commissioner for Sports, Wahid Oshodi and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Youths and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru, spoke yesterday, at the 2013 ministerial briefing, in Alausa to commemorate the sixth year anniversary of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration.
Badru said: “These were among the 3, 114 beggars/destitute/mentally challenged person arrested across the state in the year under review.”
Giving a breakdown of the statistic, he explained “out of these numbers, 2,695 were sent to the rehabilitation and training centre, 96 children arrested for cleaning windows at traffic light points were transferred to the state child protection unit and Special Correctional Centre.
“Eight children were transferred to the Child Transit Home and 315 persons, out of which 203 were male and 54 females, suspected to be criminals, were however handed over to the state task force for prosecution.”
On child abuse
Badru said 205 cases of child abuse (physical and sexual) were recorded in the state, saying “In order to reduce cases of child abuse in the state, seven persons were convicted and sentenced for violating the State Child Right Law through the State family court. Two persons were sentenced to seven years imprisonment for rape, three to 7 years imprisonment for defilement while 2 were sent to 10 years imprisonment for sexual abuse in the state.”
