Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency would begin to take drastic actions against persons who attack emergency responders, infringing injuries and also destroying government vehicles acquired with tax payers’ money to desist from this heinous act.
The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu who gave the warning in Alauasa, Secreatariat, Ikeja following the recent attacks on his operatives around Obanikoro, Ikorodu Road and Ejigbo respectively where officials of the Agency were badly brutalized and vehicles damaged, vowed that the perpetrators of this dastardly act would be fished out and prosecuted appropriately.
He observed that this act is mostly perpetrated by some unscrupulous elements who do not have any role to play at the scene of the incident, but rather create pandemonium thereby impeding the smooth operation of the emergency officers, putting their lives at risk of attack during the operation exercise by infringing injuries on them.
According to him, “emergency workers should be seen as your friend coming to give help to people in distress as well as salvage properties during emergency situations such as road traffic accident, fire outbreak and so on, and as such should be allowed to carry out their assigned duties without any hinderance to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and properties.
The General Manager noted that the present administration of His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has invested heavily in all emergency/security operatives towards prompt and adequate intervention to all emergency incidents in the State. He further stressed that tentacles of the Agency have been decentralized from the Command and Control Centre, Alausa, Ikeja to other parts of the State, which includes Lekki by Admiralty Way, Onipanu on Ikorodu Road and Cappa Dispatch Centre, Oshodi equipped with various rescue equipment and recovery vehicles.
While expressing satisfaction with Lagosians who patronize the emergency toll-free line, 112/767, he however stressed the need to ensure they call the emergency numbers immediately and not to resolve to self-help before calling the numbers as well as giving precise location with the nearest landmark of incident scene. He further advised motorists especially commercial bus drivers to always ensure they give right of way to all emergency vehicles blaring siren or heading towards emergency scene.
Tiamiyu reiterated that security operatives have been placed on red alert to arrest those who are in the act of carrying out these atrocities, noting that they will be prosecuted accordingly.