Monday Agbonika
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| Photo: Oyibos Online |
The UN estimates that at its present growth rate, Lagos State will be the third largest mega city in the world by 2015, after Tokyo in Japan and Bombay in India.
Of this population, metropolitan Lagos, an area covering 37% of the land area of Lagos State is home to over 85% of the State population.
Due to population and socio economic growth over the years, Isokoko Police Division now covers only a part of Agege. Elere, Dopemu and Pen-Cinema Divisions were created out of it.
Nonetheless, Isokoko has an estimated population of over 200,000 which constitutes mostly of youths.
According to our investigations, members of Agege community are more concerned and worried over the issue of fighting among youth.
Members of the community noted: “Fighting among youths is the most serious concern for us as residents in Agege community. We’re also worried about trading, trafficking and ingestion of drugs.”
Fighting among youths was linked to drug, populated areas and environment.
A close look at the problem at Isokoko area will show that the settlement and residential pattern especially in the Isale Oja area, which was very dense was partly responsible for this high response rate identifying fighting as the main problem.
The houses are mostly crowded with many residents sharing vital facilities like toilet and kitchen in a typical “face me I face you” settlement.
Most of such residents are in the low income bracket with about 10 to 15 persons sometimes living in one single room.
In these kinds of situation, tempers are likely to rise and often lead to altercations, which result in fights that can lead to serious injuries and even death.
This finding of high concern for fighting among youth is also supported by the crime statistics of the division. Assault, assault occasioning harm, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace together form the crimes of the highest incidence.
Also most of the murder cases recorded can be traced to situations arising from such incidents.
Findings also show that the problem of fighting among youths usually occurs at night.
Another interesting angle to this, which is quite peculiar to Agege and a few settlements in Lagos, is that when issues of fighting occur, especially if it results in death, the community ‘never do wells’ are likely to insinuate that there was an ethnic or religious angle to it.
In some instances, whenever there was a fight, you hear statements like, “ Hausa killed Yoruba” or vice versa. It is possible that the assailant did not consider the ethnic group of the victim before striking.
Such cases are very sensitive in Isokoko / Agege area because of its peculiar cosmopolitan multi-ethnic settlement.
The drug connection also, cannot be over looked. It is important that drug related crimes followed closely behind fighting. There is always a clear connection between the use of drugs and crime.
Many youths engage in the use of illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin and marijuana etc. and commit crime when they are under its influence.
Drug joints also serve as meeting points for hoodlums. Organised crime syndicates use such joints for the recruitment of new members.
Some of the drugs are addictive so that those that are addicted need rehabilitation and psychiatric help.
This group of persons usually constitute nuisance to the community. You find them loitering around, looking for any means of getting money to buy drugs.
Checking youth fighting in community
The traditional rulers / royal fathers, religious leaders (Pastors, Imams and representatives of CAN), Chairman PCRC, Chairman Parents Teachers Association, Agege Local Government Chairman, Community Development Associations (CDA), CDC, Hoteliers, Industrialists, Landlord Associations, Youth Associations, Known Illicit drug dealers, Higher Institution administrators, elected representatives of the people, must be involved in becoming controlling influence in the lives of youths in their communities. They have to identify the problems and tackle them.
Roles of traditional leaders in communities
To enlighten their subjects on the need for the youths to eschew violence and direct their energy in a more useful and productive direction.
To also prepare their subjects to cooperate with the security agencies around them and be more accommodating.
Roles of pastors, Imams, priest
To speak against violence among youths. To organize workshops or sessions with youth groups within the churches or for Imams to preach on Fridays before or after the Jumaat prayers, as the case might be.
Roles of National Road Union Worker (NURTW)
To sanction members who engage in violent behaviour with passengers. Organise briefings to members of staff against violence.
To prevent the sale and abuse of drugs within the motor-parks and among its members. To also prevent transportation of drugs.
Also, every leader in communities must attempt to engage youths through sports and other activities. To provide jobs for the youths and also ensure that the youths of Agege are considered when the State Government is recruiting Young men and women into its parastatals.
Also to provide other facilities like computer centers where the youths can have access to internet facilities. To also organize lectures, seminars and workshop targeted at the youths with a crusade against violence. To provide resources like motor vehicle and communication equipment that will enhance mobility and presence within the community.
Police, neighbourhood watch
To partner and organize joint patrols e.g. Police and neighbourhood watch.
To share intelligence about criminal activities and modus operandi.
To form vigilante groups within various streets in the community to jointly patrol especially at night. To conduct neighbourhood patrols/geographical policing in areas that is most vulnerable to crime within the community.
How industrialists can help
To Provide resources, both material and human, that will be required by the security agencies to carry out their assigned roles. For e.g. to provide rain coats for the men to enable them conduct geographical policing/neighbourhood patrol effectively even when it rains.
They also have to consider youths from the Agege area when recruiting as part of their social responsibility.
Partnering with market women, business owners, hoteliers
To screen their staff thoroughly before recruitment. To lecture members of staff on being civil to customers to avoid fights between them.
To enlighten them on the need to involve security agents when they envisage a breach of the peace. To also partner by providing resources and putting in place other mechanisms that will enable the police and other security agents to adequately police their business premises especially when the shops are closed.
For hoteliers to make lodgers data available to police and other security agents. To also monitor lodgers and pass useful information that will assist in checking crime.
CDC/CDA/Youth Groups/PCRC/OOU
They must enlighten youths on the need to eschew violence through meetings, lectures and seminars.
Enlighten youths on the dangers of using drugs like heroin, marijuana and cocaine.
They will encourage and organize them to focus their youthful energies in directions that will add value to society.
How can youths add value to society?
They can clean up the streets, car wash, laundry, others ventures. This will help them in dissipating energy in positive channel, than crime and fighting.
They are also to pass useful information to the police on the movement and location of hard drugs to enable partnering with NDLEA to smash the cartels and possible rehabilitation of addicts.
Mr Monday Agbonika is an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). He has done extensive works on youths and crime. He has also done outstanding works on domestic and sexual violence in Nigeria and is an active member of the Lagos State Government Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) .
He believes that a safer society starts with the nuclear family, thus his birth of the Family Support Unit at Adeniyi Adele Police Station, Lagos Island.
First Published 2017
