IKORODU CDCs/CDAs GIVE BIRTH TO FIRST COMMUNITY POLICING FORUM IN NIGERIA, AS ROYAL HEADS, COUNCIL CHIEFS, OTHERS CHARGE RESIDENTS TO BE SECURITY CONSCIOUS. Kayode, Adedeji, Ayeni, others sworn-in as first executive of CPF.

It was a memorable day recently at the Police Hall, inside the Divisional Police Station, along Igbogbo road, Ikorodu, when the Local Council Chairmen, traditional and religious leaders, representative of Nigeria Bar Association, Nigeria Police and other security agencies were in attendance to witness the first Community Policing Forum in Nigeria, CPF, founded by the Community Development Councils, CDCs and Community Development Associations, CDAs of Ikorodu Division, which is aimed at ensuring the safety of lives, properties and better environment in Ikorodu Division.

According to the Chairman electoral committee, CPF, Mr Musa Shakiru, "the state of security in Ikorodu Division is volatile and regretting. A Division where we have Police, Nigerian Army, Obas, Chiefs, Baales, amongst other stakeholders, killings were still rampant in Ikorodu, Ijede, Odogunyan, Imota, Adamo, Maya, Igbogbo, Ibeshe and Bayeku communities. 

"I hereby charged the incoming executives to perform beyond the people's expectation by bringing the level of crime in Ikorodu Division to barest minimum. You are to represent the interest of your people and not your own interest. Do not forget your responses to most of the questions thrown at you in the cause of the screening that took place before today. It is an allegiance wishing all of you best of luck," he said.

The Executive are:
1. Pastor Taiwo A. Kayode - Chairman.
2. Mr Oluwole John - 2nd Vice.
3. Prince Charles Adedeji - Gen. Sec.
4. Mr Olubode Ayeni - Treasurer.
5. Mr Babayemisi Kehinde Fakunmoju - Chief Whip.
6. Barr. Adetunji Adedotun - Legal Adviser.
7. Mrs Ashafa Toyin - PRO.
8. Chief Omoyele Benson- Auditor
9. Mr Odupitan Bolaji Abiola - Asst. Gen. Sec.
10. Mrs Christiana Oluwafunmilayo
11. Mr Owolabi Dauda Adisa
12. Chief Oyebanjo Kazeem.

Speaking immediately after the swearing-in, the pioneer Chairman, Pastor Taiwo A. Kayode, thanked all for the privilege giving him to serve. According to him, "It's going to be a collective responsibility. As you must have known, the Nigerian police are not saint, but no matter what you think about them, the federal government of Nigeria has not given us any other alternative to them as at today. 

"Therefore, it is only sensible and consciously logical to see how we can make use of them for the betterment of Ikorodu Division without any reservation and I assure you that there are so many professionally distinctive Police officers who can always do justice to issues without any sense of bias or compromise.

"To this end, we are hitting the ground running almost immediately by paying courtesy and familarization visits to our major and constitutional stakeholders to seek everyone's cooperation and contribution in order to achieve a" LESS CRIME SOCIETY" as no society can eradicate crime in no tatality as far as human component is concerned, but it can drastically reduce to the bearest minimum and that is our goal by Gods grace," he said.

Kayode further stated that he's going to roll out the drums of mass orientation in every nooks and crannies of Ikorodu Division to seriously and virgorously begin to address the root cause of crime, other than treating the symptoms all the time. 

"In other words, there are so many things we always do as a people on daily basis, neither by an act of ommission or commission, in our individual homes, on the street, in our various communities that can eventually be a recipe for crisis and thus, opening the gate for undesirable elements to truncate the peace of the community "prevention they say is better than cure". Our priority is the "preventive aspect of crime and leave the "CURE" to circumstances and instrumentality of the law as the case may be.

"As a matter of necessity, prevention of crime can only be achieved if the issue of "intelligence gathering" is taken seriously which is an extremely very important aspect of community policing, the slogan of "If you see something" is not for the fun of it, rather it is a profound statement of fact that everyone who desires to be protected should always act upon, if not, you or your loved ones might be the victims," he added.

The CPF Chairman also said the new executive will work to smoothen and streamline the rough edges as the case may be, so that the people of Ikorodu can be able to see policemen in another form at least, to some meaningful extent. "Ultimately, we are going to be working  assiduously with the Area N Commander, DPOs, Heads of other security agencies, the local vigilantes, CDCs/CDAs in particular, the Baales, especially in the area of information management, information processing and usage, in order to ensure that justice is done in the cause of protecting lives and property in the entire Ikorodu Division.

"Also, we are going to collaborate with various ethnic groups living in Ikorodu, willing NGOs, NURTW, RTEAN, Markets' leaders, various artisans, associations and other relevant groups that are ready to move Ikorodu forward. Quintessentially, our job will certainly lay a lot of emphasis on the danger of carrying out jungle justice and erroneously taking law into individual hands.

"We are also going to be working regularly with all the LGA/LCDAs for enabling laws that will make security levy a permanent part of us. Neither we like it or not, a community without security vigilantes is open to a risk, anything can happen and it could be very, very disastrous. Therefore, proactive measure is inevictable," Kayode explained.

He therefore advised the criminals to leave Ikorodu Division alone, saying we cannot afford to always be in the news for the wrong reasons and as such, no sensible big time investor would like to bring his money to any place that is not secure and we all know what economy development means to life.

"We must all realise the fact that there is practically no alternative to community policing as acknowledged by the federal government especially in a society that is so vulnerable like ours and of course, it is no longer news that the regular police cannot do it alone. Therefore, we need one another for the benefit of mankind in our various domains," Kayode concluded.

The Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, Bldr Olusesan Daini, in his remarks urged the newly elected Exco to work with the Nigeria Police toward sustaining peaceful environment in Ikorodu Division. 

Daini, who was represented by the SLG, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, Barr. Ade Ayeni, said Ikorodu Division has been tagged with bad name, he therefore enjoined the CPF to ensure the safety of lives and properties is sacrosanct. He further urged parents to keep close monitoring of their children for better society.

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