Nigeria, Oct. 7 -- As the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, Lagos naturally draws lots of people to it - good and bad. With an estimated population of 21 million, fighting crime in Nigeria's former capital territory is a tough job.

Violent crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, rape and gang-related crimes are common in the Lagos megacity. Owing to this, the state government has invested significantly in modern policing capabilities, while also recognising and regulating the traditional crime fighting structures.

But it's a complicated business. The state has 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas. Coordination is extremely difficult to manage.

Another gap in the system is that the traditional structures of fi...