Lagos – The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola has revealed that 2,123 policemen who were to protect the citizens were assigned to provide security for President Goodluck Jonathan in Lagos while armed robbers raided a bank in Lekki and murdered people last week. Fashola, who spoke at the Agricultural Food Value Chain, held in Agege area of Lagos said that: when the president came to Lagos last Thursday, while citizens were being robbed, the President, was protected by 2, 123 security personnel.
“Let me be very clear, the president is entitled to every protection, he’s our president, but the question to ask is that; when you were being traumatized, where were these 2,123 men?
The governor also decried Monday’s protest march for Jonathan in Lagos by members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and other pro-Jonathan groups in which the protesters terrorised Lagosians while brandishing dangerous weapons.
“They also showed the difference between us when the supporters of the PDP and President Jonathan came out. You know on 7th of March this year, just about a week ago, the APC held a solidarity rally in Lagos. Did anybody attack you on that day? So, Monday, they held their own, but what I heard, because I received telephone calls and text messages from residents who explained to me, I received emails.
“I am sorry for the pain and trauma they put you through because residents continuously complained yesterday that they were traumatised by those people who supposedly were carrying out a rally in support of the president and in support of their gubernatorial candidate, just kidding.
“So, instead of canvassing for your votes and showing you why their service record is better, they were showing you knives, cutlass and dangerous weapons.
“Some residents phoned to say that they were banging on their cars. Let me remind all of us, that the work of a party and a government is to protect citizens and not to terrorize them,” he stated.
Fashola said that for those who still said that they did not know what the issues in these elections were, Monday’s event brought one issue sharply in focus, which he said was the issue of security.
He stated that the peace and safety that “all of you have enjoyed for eight years is now at risk. You have seen the kind of people who support the other party on Monday, you have seen the kind of people who support their presidential and gubernatorial candidate; those are the people that you will see around them.
