Lagos records 246 murder, 486 armed robbery cases in one year

Lagos State recorded about 246 murder cases between December 2015 and November 30, 2016, the state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni has said.

The state also recorded 486 armed robbery cases, with 180 domestic and sexual violence cases reported to the police and 542 vehicles stolen in the past 12 months.

Owoseni disclosed these figures at the 10th yearly Town hall meeting in Lagos yesterday, jointly organised by the State Security Trust Fund, The Guardian and others. The theme was “Optimising Security Funding in a Recession.”

The event, which was attended by traditional rulers, politicians and captains of industries, including former managing director of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia and the Publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, the CP said the murder cases were higher compared with that of the previous year.

According to him, of the 246 cases of murder recorded, cultism, gangster violence, youths restiveness and street fights among youths, with ages between 10-14 years ranked highest.

He also disclosed that the menace was most prevalent in areas within Ijede, Morogbo and Surulere Police Area Commands respectively, though it cut across the three senatorial districts of the state.

According to Owoseni, while 486 armed robbery suspects were arrested, 46 of them were killed during confrontation with the police, just as 38 suspected kidnappers were arrested and 181 other suspects were nabbed in connection with cultism and street fights.

“Areas within Ogba Area Police Command accounted for the highest number. 51 cases of kidnapping were recorded, with Ijede Police Area Command accounting for the highest number of 47 per cent. They may not be unconnected with the physical and cultural environment of the area,” he added.

The police chief challenged parents and elders in Lagos to rise up to the occasion to help the security in the state by looking after the young people.

According to him, there were youths all over the place but the most challenging part is that when their parents were contacted in efforts to rehabilitate them, they claimed they did not know when their children left home.