Following the killing of two persons at Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX in Lekki, Lagos State, on Friday, some entertainment centres across the axis have heightened security measures to prevent a recurrence, PUNCH Metro has learnt.
Our correspondent gathered on Sunday that residential areas had also reviewed their security arrangements following the attack.
Greater attention was also said to have been paid to access control and the monitoring of visitors into the residential areas.
A machete-wielding man allegedly attempted to gain access to the cinema facility but was stopped by security personnel.
The suspect, who was also reportedly armed with a machete, allegedly became violent after being prevented from entering the premises and attacked security guards.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the incident on Saturday.
She said the suspect allegedly stabbed one of the security guards to death and injured another security personnel.
Adebisi added that the suspect was subsequently mobbed and died in the process.
The attack also elicited reactions from eyewitnesses, who claimed to have been traumatised by the incident.
Meanwhile, a security guard at an entertainment facility in the area, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Sunday on the condition of anonymity, said the incident had prompted a review of security procedures at some entertainment hubs in the area.
He said, “We have adjusted our security arrangements after the incident. We are now paying more attention to people coming into the premises, especially those who appear suspicious.
“My colleague who works at a nearby club said more men have been added to their team to increase their manpower and prevent such from happening.”
A bouncer who also worked at a nightclub in the area and identified himself simply as Styro confirmed the same development.
Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, he said, “We have been instructed to be more alert because we cannot always tell what a person coming in here may have with them. We now have additional bouncers after the manager of this place was told to immediately get more hands due to the incident.”
On his part, a resident of Lekki Phase One, Olufemi Fadahunsi, said the estate where he lives had adjusted its security architecture following the incident.
He said, “The security arrangement has been adjusted, particularly regarding access into the estate. Visitors are being monitored more closely now, and the security personnel have been advised to remain vigilant.
“We don’t want anything similar to happen here, so everybody is now more conscious of security.”
The President of the Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association, Sulyman Bello, confirmed that security had been heightened across some communities in the area.
LERSA is the umbrella body representing estates and gated communities from the 1004 Estates axis through Lekki to Ibeju-Lekki and Epe.
Bello also called for immediate action to address the root cause of the threat and ensure that it was eliminated.
He said, “There has been heightened security. Yes, we have noticed that. But whether it is heightened today or tomorrow is not what is of importance to us. It is to ensure that the environment is sanitised to the extent that even if you don’t have heightened security, the source of this threat is taken out.
“It is not just because something has happened and then everybody becomes conscious of security. In another three days, all of us have forgotten again. That is not what will work for us. What will work for us is a more systemic approach.”
According to Bello, the association has activated its security platform, comprising chief security officers and chairmen of security committees of estates within the axis.
He added that the association was reaching out to its members, stressing that the heightened security should not be limited to entertainment centres.
The LERSA chairman explained that residents who jogged in the mornings and evenings could also be vulnerable to attacks, given the presence of shanties and homeless persons in parts of the area.
He said, “We are reaching out to our members. It’s not just entertainment centres. Even residents’ associations are also doing a lot to beef up security.
“People are jogging on the road. You need to understand that people feel these neighbourhoods are safe. So you find young men and women getting out of their homes and getting on the streets in their neighbourhoods to jog in the morning,” he said.
“Go to Orchard Road, Monastery Road, Freedom Way, Platinum Way. You see people jogging in the morning and in the evening. So the risk is that if you have such hoodlums in the area, they are vulnerable.”
Bello appealed to residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to their estate security committees and the relevant authorities.
He further urged the Lagos State Government to find a sustainable solution to the presence of homeless people and vulnerable persons living in makeshift settlements around the Lekki axis.