Lagos To Shut Nightclubs Caught Using Drugs, Firearms
Lagos State government, through its Safety Commission, and has warned nightclubs owners in the state against usage of drugs and firearms in their environment.
The commission, which decried increasing use of drugs and firearms in nightclubs, vowed to henceforth shut down any nightclub caught with such issues.
Director-General (DG) of the Commission, Lanre Mojola, said it would collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to address the situation in the state.
Speaking, at a meeting with the night clubs owners in Lagos, Mojola warned that the state government has zero tolerance for the use of drugs and firearms at nightclubs and would henceforth deal with the perpetrators. He lamented that the use of hard drugs and firearms had become rampant in several nightclubs across the state.
The DG also decried the presence of the underage persons in many nightclubs in the state, stressing that it was against the law to allow such to occur. He said: “The purpose of the meeting is to address certain concerns that have come to the attention of the commission.
“Lots of night clubs’ frontages have been turned to drug outlets, you need to address that, night clubs need to have lots of signages on designated areas for smoking. The issue of underaged persons in nightclubs should also be addressed.”
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 operation of nightclubs.
The DG also called on nightclub owners to take responsibility and form an association to tackle issues of drug and firearms usage in clubs, adding that no security detail should be allowed to carry firearms.
He stressed that the commission alongside security agencies will start regular visits to nightclubs in the state and shut down erring ones.
Speaking also at the meeting, the staff officer in charge of operations, Lagos State Command of NDLEA, Superintendent of Narcotics, Maijama’a Abdullahi, lamented that drugs were being used in most night clubs from his findings after undergoing a secret tour of some clubs in Lagos.
He said many nightclubs had no signage to warn people against the use of drugs, decrying that drugs were being used excessively in many clubs. He said: “Drug dealers stick around the clubs. They stick outside the clubs and 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.”
