USE OF DRUGS, FIREARMS: LAGOS GOES TOUGH ON OPERATORS OF NIGHTCLUBS

The Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) has decried the increasing use of drugs and firearms in nightclubs in Lagos and has vowed to shut down any club involved with in such lawlessness henceforth.

Director-General of the Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, stated this at a meeting with nightclub owners, warning that the State Government has zero tolerance for the use of illicit drugs and firearms at nightclubs and would no longer tolerate the lawlessness of owners and patrons of such clubs.

In his words: “The purpose of this meeting is to address certain concerns that have come to our attention which includes the use of drugs, firearms and other illegal items in most nightclubs and this has become a major cause of concern for the Lagos State Government”.

“On the issue of firearms in clubs, last year we had an incident with a superstar, we are also aware of a shooting accident that happened at a club recently and these give us serious concerns. There should be scanners that can detect firearms and other weapons. Of what use are your security operatives and cameras if they cannot come in handy in situations like this”, he stated.

Mojola emphasised that the use of illicit drugs and firearms have become rampant in several nightclubs across the State and the Commission is ready to stamp out the illegal practice and would collaborate with relevant authorities, such as the Nigerian Police and NDLEA, to stop such lawlessness.

Noting that most club premises have been turned to drug sales outlets, he implored owners and operators of nightclubs to use proper signages to pass on the message of no-drugs-no-firearms and no-underage to club-goers.

He warned nightclub owners to respect the laws of the State as the government would not hesitate to wield the big stick on those flagrantly violating the law regarding the operations of nightclubs.

Mojola, therefore, called on all stakeholders to take responsibility and work together to tackle the issues of drugs and firearms usage as well as the presence of underage children in many nightclubs in the State, saying that it is against the law to allow minors in such an environment.

He revealed that the Commission, in conjunction with officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigerian Police Force, will commence regular visits to nightclubs in the State to bring violators to book.

Also speaking, the Staff Officer of NDLEA, in charge of operations at the Lagos State Command, Superintendent of Narcotics, Maijama’a Abdullahi lamented that illicit drugs are being used in most night clubs from his findings after undergoing a secret tour of some clubs in Lagos.

He said that in many nightclubs, there were no signages to warn people against doing drugs, decrying that drugs were being used excessively. “The drug dealers visit most of the nightclubs to sell drugs. Some of those selling drugs are friends with the bouncers. We need the help of club owners, it is getting out of hand”, he lamented.