…Promises operational vehicles
By Eberechi Obinagwam
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has pledged its support to the Lagos State Command of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria.
This is following a strategic engagement between the Fund’s Executive Secretary/CEO, Dr. Ayo Ogunsan, and the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Lagos State Command led by its Commander, Sesan Oguntunde, alongside other senior officials.
The meeting was held on Monday 2nd March at the LSSTF HQ, Ikeja, Lagos, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report.
Speaking during the courtesy visit, the Vigilante Lagos leadership outlined the organisation’s structure and operational footprint across the country. According to Commander Oguntunde, the group is “a voluntary organization recognized by the Federal Government. We are not paid salaries by the FG but our organization is very effective in the North and in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. We have a national body and also a Southwest Command based in Abeokuta, Ogun State.”
He explained that while the group is occasionally engaged by some Local Government Areas in Lagos on a needs basis, statewide recognition has remained elusive. “When we started in Lagos, we had about 7,000 men but the number has reduced to about 4,000. We have been seeking Lagos State recognition for a long time but haven’t gotten it until today. We say thank you for your support,” he said.
Oguntunde also addressed past allegations of misconduct: “Many of us are trained by the Nigeria Police. It is those who are not trained that engage in jungle justice. That situation is now in the past. What we do is hand over cases to the Police. Our efforts are well reported in media. There is a radio show on Bond FM hosted by Tajudeen Ojuelegba every Tuesday, 9.30am that report our stories.”
“To ensure accountability, we want you to give us a contact person so that once we apprehend any suspect, we will report the person’s name, offence, and the Police station where the suspect is handed over,” Oguntunde assured.
In his response, Dr. Ogunsan assured the Vigilante group of LSSTF’s readiness to support their integration into Lagos’ security architecture. “We will revive you in Lagos. By Friday we will give you an operational vehicle. You will get operational bikes if we can see your impact in Lagos because it seems that will even be more effective for you.”
He emphasized the importance of intelligence-led community policing: “We need intelligence gathering and community policing from you. We want to know your staff strength in Lagos so we can present something realistic to the Executive Governor.”
Dr. Ogunsan also cautioned against internal divisions, adding: “Please, I do not want to have issues of factionalization among you. For the servicing of the vehicles that you will receive from us, don’t use any roadside mechanic for servicing or repairs. Contact us and we will handle it.”
The engagement marks a significant step toward strengthening community-based security support in Lagos State.
Other senior officers in the entourage of the state Commander are Deputy Commander, VGN Lagos, DC Ogunbowale Taofiki; Deputy Commander, VGN Lagos, DC Olushola Awe; Assistant Commander, AC Admin VGN Lagos, AC Ashafa Opeyemi and Assistant Commander, AC Intelligence, VGN Lagos, AC Ekundayo Gabriel.
