Oshodi not under threat of reprisal attacks, says police boss

IT was a harvest of arrest of criminal suspects as the police yesterday paraded over 100 hoodlums arrested within Lagos metropolis. The hoodlums were arrested for offences ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping, child theft, murder, advance fee fraud,419, cultism, impersonation and car snatching.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded about 34 out of the suspects said the police were winning the war against crime and criminality as all the suspects were arrested in the month of September, 2015.

The CP who gave crime statistic of the month in question said a total number of 40 armed robbery suspects were arrested, while 31 cultists were also arrested at Bariga, Ojota, Mushin and Lagos Island.

The Lagos State Police boss, who also used the opportunity to dispel the ongoing rumor urging people to stay away from Oshodi because of an alleged threat by a suspected gang leader, said there was no such thing.

He stated that what happened was that there was a clash between two rival cult groups at Oshodi last week that claimed one life.

“When we had the news, the police moved in quickly and was able to restore peace in the area. One person actually died and we have been able to pacify the aggrieved group, who wanted to carry out a reprisal attack on the need to embrace peace.

“We have identified the killers and we would go after them and their sponsors. All those involved in various acts of disturbances, their sponsors would be hunted and by the time they are arrested they would be charged to court” he added.

Owoseni said to forestall what happened in Abuja, the Command had emplaced a tactical operation points at various areas in the metropolis. He said some of those attached to the new tactical unit have being posted to exit points into Lagos.

He however, appealed to members of the public to be patient with those attached to the tactical unit at the exit points, stressing that policemen posted to the unit have being trained on how to handle the public. “Some of them are currently undergoing various training at the Police College,” he said.

Owoseni, who urged members of the public to be more vigilant as the Christmas season approaches, stated that a total of 27 different types of riffles and 64 various calibres of ammunition were recovered in the period under review.

According to him, 25 distress calls were successfully foiled, while about 12 others were recorded at the different divisions within the Lagos Command.

“Five notorious armed robbers died in different shootout with police, while two who jumped into the swamp at Odo-Iyalaro area of Ikorodu died in the process. Also, a lady who pretended to be friend to another woman at Ajegunle area of Lagos, stole the woman’s nine month old baby.

“The suspect went to the shop of the mother of the child and requested to buy the child some biscuit and beverages at a nearby kiosk. While the mother of the child was busy in her shop, the suspect bolted away with the nine month old baby.

“Through our network of intelligence, we were able to trace the suspect to a place in between Okija and Abia. The suspect has been arrested, the nine month old baby has also being reunited with his family”.