Oodua Peoples Congress [OPC] and Crime Control in Lagos Metropolis

The increase in violent crimes, insecurity of lives and property and the inability of the police to effectively curb crime led the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) intervention in crime control in South Western Nigeria. In spite of the public belief in the organization as an effective mechanism of crime control, opinions are divided on its methods of operations and relationship with the police and the public. The study was therefore undertaken to assess the operations, effectiveness and public perception of the police towards the organization. Two Local Government Areas (LGAs) from the 20 LGAs that make up Lagos state were selected purposively based on high population density, high incidence of crime and the presence of OPC security outfit. Data were obtained through the administration of two structured questionnaires,In-depth Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions.There was drastic reduction in crime in Lagos sequel to OPC intervention as affirmed by 79.2% of the public and 71.5% of the police respondents. Since OPC roles in crime control as discovered from the study is not in doubt, there is therefore, an urgent need for a proper training of OPC members in community policing.