Picnews
The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has reinforced its commitment to strengthening security across Lagos’ transportation network with the donation of two operational vehicles to security agencies responsible for protecting the railway corridor.
The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the LSSTF, Dr. Ayodele Ogunsan, made the donation 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.
One of the vehicles was presented to the Nigeria Police Railway Command, while the other went to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Railway Command to support patrol and security operations along the railway network.
The intervention forms part of the LSSTF’s broader strategy of supporting security operations across Lagos’ major transportation sectors, including road, waterways, air and rail transportation.
Speaking during the visit, Ogunsan said the decision to extend the Fund’s security interventions to the railway sector was driven by the need to ensure that passengers, railway workers and infrastructure remain adequately protected.
He noted that his relationship with the NRC Managing Director dated back to Opeifa’s years in the Lagos State Government, where he handled key transportation responsibilities.
“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.
According to him, the LSSTF has deliberately adopted a multimodal approach to security, supporting operations across air transport, waterways and land transportation while now placing greater attention on railway security.
“We’ve eyes in air transport, waterways, and here we are talking about land and then we talk about rail,” he said.
Ogunsan stressed that the Fund wanted railway users to feel safe at stations and across the railway corridor, assuring Lagos residents that greater attention would be given to railway security.
“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 said.
The LSSTF boss urged the Police and NSCDC to ensure that the donated vehicles were used strictly for patrol and other approved operational duties.
“Please, take ownership of these assets. These assets are very expensive. 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,” Ogunsan said.
He disclosed that the LSSTF operates a monitoring unit responsible for tracking the use of vehicles and other assets provided 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 explained.
Ogunsan also highlighted the importance of continued support for the LSSTF, noting that the Fund relies largely on voluntary contributions from individuals, entrepreneurs, private-sector organisations and government interventions to support security agencies.
“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 said, calling on stakeholders within the railway sector to support the Fund’s security initiatives.
Responding, NRC Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, commended the LSSTF and Ogunsan for the intervention, noting that the latest donation was part of the Fund’s sustained support for railway security.
“They have done this kind of donation before. This is about the second or third time, and they have been doing it consistently,” Opeifa said.
He also expressed appreciation to Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu for supporting the railway community through interventions in infrastructure, roads, street lighting and drainage.
Opeifa disclosed that the state government had facilitated a major storm-water drainage project around the railway compound, which he said had helped address flooding challenges in the area.
The NRC chief also called on other state governments hosting railway facilities to develop similar partnerships with the corporation, stressing the importance of collective efforts in securing railway infrastructure and communities along the network.
He cited commitments by the governors of Abia and Enugu States to support railway communities and security initiatives in their respective states.
Opeifa further encouraged individuals and corporate organisations to contribute to the LSSTF, noting that such support helps improve the operational capacity of security personnel.
The representative of the Commandant, Railway Police Command, DCP Yahaya Mana, DC Operations, Nigeria Police Railway Command, also commended the LSSTF and NRC leadership for the donation.
“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 Railway Command, ACC Ademola Adetola, described the intervention as the beginning of a new phase in railway safety.
“This is the start of a new era of safety. I thank you for the special place you have given us,” he said.
During the visit, Ogunsan also had the opportunity to experience a special ride in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle designed to operate on both conventional roads and railway tracks.
The vehicle, fitted with both road tyres and metallic railway wheels, provided the LSSTF chief with a firsthand experience of the corporation’s specialised railway mobility technology.
Describing the experience as unusual, Ogunsan said it was unlike anything he had encountered previously.
“What I’ve never experienced before in my life, I experienced this here,” he said. “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 also brought together representatives of the Denton Police Division, including CSP Solomon Komolafe, as well as railway labour and heritage stakeholders.
Among them was the President of Legacy 1995, Mr. Tayo Olaniyi, who manages the Railway Museum at the historic Jaekel House.
Olaniyi commended the security initiative and stressed the importance of protecting Nigeria’s railway heritage, warning that vandalism could threaten both critical infrastructure and the country’s historical assets.
“Security is very important. It cannot be left with only the politicians and police,” he said, urging railway stakeholders and members of the wider community to work closely with security agencies.
The latest intervention underscores the growing importance of security in Lagos’ evolving transportation system. As rail transportation continues to play a significant role in moving people and goods, protecting railway infrastructure, passengers and personnel remains essential to ensuring the system operates efficiently.
The LSSTF’s engagement with the NRC therefore signals a broader commitment to strengthening security across Lagos’ multimodal transportation network, with the Fund emphasising that effective security must extend across the roads, waterways, airspace and railway corridors.
