Crime: Police Mobilise Against Hoodlums In Lagos, Ogun As 191 Suspects Arrested

A total of One hundred and ninety one (191) suspects have been arrested in Lagos and Ogun States in connection with the recent attacks around the border communities of the two states.

Their arrest was confirmed on Monday in a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba.

Recall that in the wake of the lockdown order, some youths were said to have invaded some homes and shops in parts of the two states, dispossessing residents of their belongings.

Reports say among the places affected are Iyana Ipaja and Agege areas of Lagos, as well as Olambe, Giwa Oke-Aro, and Ten-Ten areas of Ogun State.

Residents of some of the communities, however, resorted to keeping vigil around their homes, burning tyres on the roads and streets to ward off the criminals.

Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Kenneth Ebrimson, was said to have dismissed the calls by the residents of the area as false alarm.

The police statement, however said several suspects had been apprehended in relation to the incident.

The statement read in part: “A total of One Hundred and Ninety One (191) suspects have been arrested in Lagos and Ogun States in connection with the incidents.

“The following exhibits, fifteen (15) locally-made guns, fifty-two (52) live cartridges, forty-two (42) Cutlasses and axes and large quantity of weeds suspected to be Marijuana have been recovered from the hoodlums by the Police Teams in the Agbado, Ifo, Otta and Agege axis.”

The statement also released phone lines that members of the public could call in case of further attacks.

“The DIG, Peter B. Ogunyanwo,fdc  can be reached through this GSM No: 0803 389 3226. The Control Room Numbers for Lagos Command are 08127155132, 08065154338 and 07055462708 while that of Ogun Command are 08081770416 and 08081770419.”

According to the statement, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, assured citizens that the police will not sit and watch criminal elements disrupt the peace of the country.

The statement quoted the IGP as commending the steadfastness, patience, perseverance and vigilance of Nigerians at this critical time.

Similarly, the statement said the IGP had also ordered the immediate deployment of additional intelligence and operational assets of the Force.

“In the wake of recent activities of hoodlums and street urchins in the border communities between Lagos and Ogun States, the Inspector General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, NPM, mni, has ordered the immediate deployment of additional intelligence and operational assets of the Force, comprising Police Mobile Force (PMF) Units, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Special Tactical Squad (STS), to Lagos and Ogun States to strengthen security and bolster public confidence in the affected areas,” the statement read briefly.

“The Intervention Team is being coordinated by a Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Peter Babatunde Ogunyanwo, fdc, a seasoned crime fighter, who doubles as the DIG in charge of the Department of Research and Planning of the Force and the coordinating DIG for South-West Geopolitical Zone. He is to immediately oversee the deployments of these additional assets to enhance public safety, public confidence and general security in the two (2) States.

“Meanwhile, the IGP has ordered Commissioners of Police across the country to immediately rejig the security architecture in their various Commands to effectively tackle all emerging crimes associated with the COVID-19 lock-down. They are also to intensify patrols around residential areas, markets, shopping malls and all critical national infrastructures in their jurisdictions.

“The Assistant Inspectors General of Police in the twelve (12) Zonal Commands have also been directed by the IGP to bring their supervisory role to bear by ensuring that the Commands under their Zones are safe and secure for the citizenry to live and thrive,” the statement concluded.