yesterday told the Chief of Army Staff that because of the strategic position of Lagos in the country, the security of the city state must be of priority to security agencies in the country.
The governor called on service personnel in Lagos to be fully committed to their constitutional responsibilities of keeping the peace and strengthening security in the State.
The governor while pledging that the state government would continue to provide logistics support to all security agencies for continuous operations across the state, urged the personnel to justify the confidence with improvement in security.
Sanwo-Olu spoke when he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya, who visited him at the State House, Marina.
The Army Chief was in Lagos for traditional assessment of the military formations and warfare assets in the state.
The governor said it was important to prioritise safety in the state, given its economic importance and geographic location as one of the country’s international borders.
He said the state government had shared a commendable relationship with the Army and other security agencies in Lagos, promising to strengthen the synergy.
He said: “Lagos has uniquely not only the land borders, it is also an international route in and out of the country through the air and waterways.
“The relationship we have been enjoying between the state government and the entire security agencies, especially the Nigerian army, has been commendable.
“I acknowledge the leadership role being played by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division with other security agencies in raising the bar of security surveillance, training, information sharing and collaboration in operations.
“From this robust engagement, we have developed a mechanism in which every agency works in synergy with others to improve the state’s security architecture. We have continued to experience improved security, calmness and safety.
“But there is much that needs to be done and this requires total commitment of our personnel.
We will continue to give support to the security agencies to ensure not only their safety and that of the residents, but also the safety of visitors coming to do business in Lagos.”
In his response, Yahaya said he was excited about the robust collaboration between the Army and other security agencies operating in Lagos.
He said: “We will do our best to ensure security is enhanced across Lagos and other parts of the country.”
Army top officers in the entourage of the COAS included GOC 81 Division, Maj. Gen. L.A. Fejokwu, Commander of Training and Doctrine, Maj. Gen. S.O. Olabanji, Chief of Logistics, Maj. Gen. O.A. Akintade, and Chief of Army Operations, Maj. Gen. O.T. Akinjobi.
Others were Chief of Military Intelligence, Brig. Gen. D.I. Salihu, Commander of 9th Brigade, Brig. Gen. M.L. Saraso, Provost Marshall, Maj. Gen. O.R. Aiyenigba and Chief of Staff to the COAS, Brig. Gen. A.M. Umar.
