Security experts have warned that suspected terrorists fleeing from the North East have infiltrated major cities in the country and enrolling as domestic staff.
This followed the alarm raised recently by Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Fatai Owoseni, that many city residents are inadvertently employing fleeing Boko Haram suspects and run-away militants as domestic guards to secure their homes and properties.
He said the Police had observed that criminal cases perpetrated by domestic helps were on the increase and advised residents to not only exercise caution when employing domestic workers, but also allow proper profiling of their domestic employees by the Police, especially guards and drivers.
The Police boss warned estate managers as well as private guards to stop denying policemen on patrol duty access into the premises they guard.
“Criminal elements and suspected militants/kidnappers have found themselves enlisted into services of private security companies where they choose the estates they want to go and work”, he alleged.
The alert has triggered reactions from security experts who observed that cases of criminality perpetrated by domestic helps were on the increase, especially in respect of drivers fleeing with their employers’ vehicles.
One of them, Akintola Badmus, said most Nigerians are unaware of the profile of those they hire as domestic guards.
LEADERSHIP Sunday’s investigation revealed that most Nigerians are not conscious of those they hire as domestic guards as many of the employees are employed based mostly on trust.
Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, last March, said his administration had prepared an executive bill, which when enacted, would regulate domestic workers and guards, citing growing security threat they posed to the state and its residents.
“It has been discovered that domestic workers are largely undocumented and pose a grave security threat in the state. The recruiting agencies must be licensed and regulated henceforth. Our safety is now non-negotiable”, the governor said.
Reacting to the threat, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Jimoh Moshood, said residents employing domestic staff must ensure they do proper profiling. He also gave tips that should be adhered to for security purposes.
He said, “It is important that people should be vigilant when recruiting domestic staff. It is good they have their profile and also ensure they know who is bringing the domestic staff for them. They should also ensure that they get guarantors who will guarantee the good behaviour of such domestic staff. So that in case anything comes up, they will be able to locate them”.
He urged Nigerians to continue to be security conscious and not take anything related to security for granted.
He said, “The issue of domestic staff or security guards is something that must be taken seriously because sometimes we leave the safety of our homes to these individuals. So, it is important you know where they are from. Some recruit staff without even having the picture of the person that they are recruiting. So they should endeavour to profile them, get their photographs and other details”, he cautioned.
He said the Police can assist in doing the profiling of any domestic staff, adding that under the criminal justice act, the Police has the authority to take finger prints and bio-data of anybody alleged to have committed an offence or attempt to commit an offence.
“Our criminal register is very effective and working. So most of the time we rely on it for detecting crimes and profile of criminals”, he added, warning however against patronising illegal security agencies.
Another security expert, Mr Okechukwu Sunday told our reporter that some of the domestic guards pose security risk, as they now monitor their employers and the environment and then give information to their cohorts outside.
Also, a retired police commissioner, Joseph Attah warned Nigerians to be circumspect in employing domestic workers and allow proper profiling of their domestic employees by the police.