EKO 2012:Security Sub-Committee To Deploy 18,000 Security Officers To Venues.

Twenty days to the EKO 2012 Games, the Security sub-committee of the 18th National Sports Festival,has assured that over eighteen thousand security personnel would be deployed to the various Sports venues in an effort to record a hitch-free Games.

 Its chairman,Vincent Brown who doubles as the Lagos State Assistant Commissioner of Police made this remark while speaking with our correspondent after inspecting facilities at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. "In short we are ready for the Games

."The fact that am the member of my committee going round underscores the level of preparedness that we have already put in place for the Game.

 " It is as high as 18,000 security personnel because the security has been contemplated at various state that is why you have found me here with members of my committee, going round the facilities determining implication of the architecture,the crowd that we are expecting,viz a viz the events and the various events venues that we are having".

 Brown, said the committee's inspection of facilities showed its readiness for the EKO 2012 Games as he stressed that the exercise had enabled them to have a clear vision of how to curtail social violence at match venues,adding that the committee had co-opted all the security agencies to make the visitors comfortable while in Lagos State.

 "The committee has already co-opted all the security agencies.Members of the Armed Forces are part involved,State Security Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps,Lagos State Transport Monitoring Agency, Neighbourhood Watch.

"Security involve how do deal with human and vehicular traffic, Federal Road Safety Commission,all the security agencies that are saddled with the responsibility of traffic".

 The head of operation department, Lagos State Police command,who acknowledged that over one thousand and five hundred(1,500) security personnel would be deployed to the Teslim Balogun Stadium during the opening ceremony,said about five hundred(500) security officers would be permanently assigned to the Teslim Balogun Stadium so as to provide a suitable ambiance devoid of rancor, crime and harassment to make the visitors happy.

 "As much as possible we are going to provide a suitable ambience devoid of rancour,crime ,harassment that would make people visit Lagos."At the end of the day, for a place like Teslim Balogun Stadium, we would on a good day require nothing less than 300-500 personnel".

 "For example,on the day of opening ceremony,we are going to have over 1,500 security men at the venue."That is outside Policemen and patrol vehicles that would deploy right from when the visitors are entering Lagos.

We have under the leadership of comm of Police of course the Inspector General of Police heart is in Lagos".

According to him,the committee has also map out strategy to extend their security network to all the neighboring States as well as Nation's border,at Seme, Badagry, since they are expecting international visitors that would travel to Lagos to be part of the EKO 2012.

 "We will cover from border to border,Seme Police post,there is a plan already on ground to cover right from when people will be coming because we will be expecting some international visitors that will be in Lagos for the Games".