The commissioner of police in Lagos State, Idowu Owohunwa has directed that all officers should be on stand by owing to the series of riots that broke out in parts of Lagos on Friday.
The directive titled “Confinement To Barracks,” made available to Information Nigeria revealed the order will take effect from “Friday 17/02/2023 till further notice.”
It stated further that “any disobedience to this directive will attract severe punishment.”
Meanwhile, Owohunwa, says he’ll “severely deal” with mischief makers in the State over unrest arising from naira scarcity.
Information Nigeria had earlier reported that riots broke out in Mile 12 food and perishable markets on Friday morning.
Riot began when traders refused to accept the old naira for business transactions.
Police officers were later deployed to douse the riot in the market.
Police spokesman in the State, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Friday, quoted Owohunwa to have assured Lagos residents that the command would leave no stone unturned to “prevent the breakdown of law and order in the state.”
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“The CP gave this assurance during an on-the-spot assessment of Mile 12 and other areas of the State where there was unrest earlier today.
“CP Idowu has equally warned mischief makers to desist from fomenting trouble as anyone found wanting would be severely dealt with in accordance with the law,” Hundeyin added.
Owohunwa said miscreants were taking advantage of the naira redesign policy to unleash violence in the State.
He urged law-abiding residents to go about their lawful duties without any intimidation or fear.
“This warning has become necessary following attempts by some miscreants to take advantage of the CBN cash policy to unleash violence in some parts of the State,” the statement said.
“All law-abiding Lagosians are encouraged to go about their lawful duties without fear of harassment or intimidation as the Command has resorted normalcy and ensured optimal deployment of human and operational resources towards guaranteeing their continued safety and security.
“In the meantime, the Commissioner of Police deeply appreciates the good people of Lagos State for always providing prompt and adequate information to the Police. He encourages more of this as he observes that this partnership and trust have helped the Command in no small measure to curb crime and criminality in the state, and in promptly stabilizing the Lagos State security space.”
