LSSTF Donates Patrol Vehicles to Railway Police, NSCDC, Pledges Stronger Security on Lagos Rail Corridors
LAGOS — The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has donated two operational vehicles to the Nigeria Police Railway Command and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Railway Command as part of efforts to strengthen security across Lagos’ railway network.
The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Fund, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, presented the vehicles during a courtesy visit to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, at the corporation’s headquarters in Ebute-Metta, Lagos.
The intervention, according to Ogunsan, reflects the LSSTF’s commitment to extending its security support beyond roads, waterways and air transport to the railway sector.
“When this idea came that we must secure our railway, immediately I connected with him, because the bond between security and transportation is very key,” Ogunsan said, referring to his longstanding relationship with Opeifa, who previously served in key transportation roles in the Lagos State Government.
He said the Fund was determined to ensure that passengers and other users of railway stations in Lagos could operate in a safe environment.
“Now we are telling Lagosians, especially the users of our rail, that Lagos State Security Trust Fund is also putting searchlight on the railway. We want to make sure that everybody who uses all our railway stations believes that the place, that space, is also very safe. And we are going to pay more attention to it,” he declared.
### Vehicles for Patrol Operations
Ogunsan urged the Police and NSCDC to deploy the vehicles strictly for patrol and operational duties, stressing that responsible management of donated assets would encourage further interventions.
“Please, take ownership of these assets. These assets are very expensive,” he said. “This vehicle is not an official vehicle. It is meant for patrol. And if you use it for that reason, then we’ll be encouraged to do more.”
He disclosed that the LSSTF had established a monitoring unit to track the use of vehicles and other assets donated to security agencies.
“When we came into office, we came up with the Lagos State Security Trust Fund Monitoring Unit. That monitoring department goes all around to tell us the usage of our vehicles. The moment they give us a positive response or report, we add more to your assets,” he said.
The LSSTF CEO also appealed to individuals, businesses and corporate organisations to support the Fund, noting that its interventions depend substantially on voluntary contributions.
“Everything we do at the Lagos State Security Trust Fund is through your voluntary donation as individual, as entrepreneur, private sector, and sometimes the government of the State,” he explained.
### NRC Commends Lagos Partnership
Responding, Opeifa expressed appreciation to the LSSTF and Ogunsan, noting that the latest donation was part of a sustained relationship between the Fund and the railway corporation.
“They have done this kind of donation before. This is about the second or third time, and they have been doing it consistently,” he said.
The NRC managing director also thanked Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for supporting the railway community through infrastructure interventions, including roads, street lighting and drainage.
He disclosed that the governor had facilitated a major storm-water drainage project around the railway compound, which he said had helped address flooding challenges.
Opeifa urged other state governments hosting railway infrastructure to develop similar partnerships with the NRC.
“We want you, the government, to also support us,” he said, citing commitments by the governors of Abia and Enugu to support railway communities and security systems in their respective states.
He also encouraged individuals and corporate organisations to contribute to the LSSTF, noting that such support directly strengthens the operational capacity of security personnel.
### Security Agencies Welcome Intervention
The representative of the Commandant, Railway Police Command, DCP Yahaya Mana, DC Operations, Nigeria Police Railway Command, thanked the LSSTF and NRC management for the donation, describing it as a boost to patrol operations.
“I want to say thank you to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund and the NRC MD. If not for him, we wouldn’t have seen something of such. But we appreciate him for doing this, and I believe this is just the beginning of it. More and more are coming through our MD,” he said.
Similarly, the representative of the NSCDC Nigeria Railway Command, ACC Ademola Adetola, described the intervention as the beginning of a new era of safety.
“This is the start of a new era of safety. I thank you for the special place you have given us,” he said.
### Ogunsan Takes Special Railway Ride
The visit also featured a special ride in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle capable of travelling on both conventional roads and railway tracks.
The vehicle, fitted with conventional road tyres and metallic railway wheels, offered Ogunsan a firsthand experience of railway mobility.
Clearly impressed by the experience, he said: “What I’ve never experienced before in my life, I experienced this here. I didn’t come here by road. I came here by rail. But there’s something about that trip that I’m still trying to fathom.”
The visit brought together representatives of the railway police, NSCDC, Denton Police Division, railway labour and heritage stakeholders, including National Union of Railway Workers representatives and President of Legacy 1995, Mr. Tayo Olaniyi, who manages the Railway Museum at the historic Jaekel House.
Olaniyi commended the initiative and stressed the importance of protecting Nigeria’s railway heritage, warning that vandalisation threatens both infrastructure and the country’s historical inheritance.
“Security is very important. It cannot be left with only the politicians and police,” he said, urging the railway community to cooperate with security agencies and other stakeholders.
The intervention underscores the importance of security to the safe and efficient operation of Lagos’ expanding railway network, with the LSSTF signalling its intention to sustain support for security operations across the sector.
No comments