A police source has opened up on the reason police escorts were withdrawn from the embattled Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda.
Recall that Naijaonpoint reported that Meranda had condemned the withdrawal of her security detail, describing it as a plan by her predecessor to destabilize her administration
Speaking on the reason for the withdrawal, a police source who spoke under the condition of anonymity told The Sun that the Speaker was not the only one affected.
He explained that several VIPs in Lagos who have enjoyed security protection over the years without due approval from the police also had their details withdrawn.
The source equally noted that the withdrawal of Meranda’s security detail has nothing to do with the political tussles in the State House of Assembly, as the police have maintained neutrality throughout.
The source said, “What happened is that the new Commissioner of Police (CP), Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, as part of his efforts to instil professionalism and due process, sent a directive that all policemen under the command who are on VIP protection duties without due approval should be withdrawn immediately.
“There are some traditional rulers in the state who have had police personnel guarding them for almost 20 years without approval. It was not just about the Speaker.
“The normal procedure is that when police protection is needed by VIPs, they are to write to the police officially, and upon approval, personnel will be assigned to them.
“The Speaker of the House of Assembly is entitled to police protection under the law, and she doesn’t need to write as an individual. But the normal procedure is that the outgoing administration will write to the police formally to notify the force about a change in leadership, stating the names of the new office holders deserving of police protection.
“In this instance, no such communication has been sent to the police, so that is probably why the policemen withdrew because they know there was no letter posting them to that duty.”