Lagos State House of Assembly has called for stronger community-based security measures and tougher prosecution of individuals involved in the vandalism of public infrastructure across the state.
The lawmakers made the call during Monday’s plenary, urging the state government to strengthen and adequately equip the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps and other community security structures to improve surveillance and prevent the destruction of roads, bridges and other public facilities.
The Assembly also stressed that the prosecution of infrastructure vandals should extend beyond those who physically remove public property to individuals and businesses that purchase, sell or profit from stolen government assets.
The lawmakers’ position followed a motion moved by the member representing Ikorodu II, Moshood Aro, who raised concerns over the increasing vandalism of public infrastructure, particularly in FESTAC.
Aro said the destruction of infrastructure funded with taxpayers’ money effectively imposed additional financial pressure on residents because government would have to spend more money repairing or replacing damaged facilities.
“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.
He argued that the government should not be forced to repeatedly commit public funds to infrastructure because facilities already provided for residents were being vandalised.
“Public funds are being used to provide these facilities, and when they are damaged or vandalised, public funds are again required to repair them. This places an additional burden on taxpayers,” Aro added.
The lawmaker called for increased scrutiny of individuals and businesses involved in the scrap trade, particularly those who purchase materials suspected to have been removed from public infrastructure.
According to him, disrupting the market for stolen government property was essential to addressing the root of infrastructure vandalism.
Aro urged security agencies and relevant authorities to ensure that suspects arrested over the destruction of public facilities were properly prosecuted.
“Persons arrested for vandalising public infrastructure should not be released without proper prosecution and, where found guilty, should be sentenced accordingly,” he said.
He further called for closer cooperation among government agencies, security organisations and communities to develop a more effective response to the problem.
“We, as citizens and representatives of the people, need to take this matter seriously. All the relevant agencies need to sit down, collaborate and respond appropriately to these challenges,” Aro said.
Supporting the motion, the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, called for stronger enforcement against both vandals and those facilitating the illegal trade in stolen public materials.
Obasa also urged ministries, departments and agencies responsible for environmental and infrastructure enforcement to ensure that relevant laws were properly communicated and effectively implemented.
He advocated increased government support for local security structures, including the Neighbourhood Watch and Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, arguing that better funding and resources would enable them to identify suspicious activities and prevent criminal acts within communities.
The lawmakers emphasised that the state’s response should combine prevention, surveillance and prosecution, rather than relying solely on arrests after infrastructure has already been damaged.
They said adequately trained and equipped community security personnel could provide valuable intelligence and early warnings, while the police and other relevant agencies would handle criminal investigations and prosecution.
Contributing to the debate, Lawal Olumegbon urged the Lagos State Government to strengthen cooperation with the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas in tackling infrastructure vandalism at the grassroots.
Similarly, Stephen Ogundipe said the problem extended beyond a particular constituency, noting that communities across Lagos were experiencing the damaging effects of the destruction of public infrastructure.
Lagos Assembly seeks stronger community security, prosecution of infrastructure vandals