Owoseni replaces Aderanti as Lagos CP

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, has redeployed Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, to Force Headquarters.

His redeployment may not be unconnected with the spate of armed robbery and kidnapping incidents in Lagos State in recent times.

According to a release by the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Shogunle, a Chief Superintendent, two other state police bosses in Ogun and Rivers States were also redeployed.

The release stated that Arase took the decision to inject fresh ideas into the security architecture in Lagos, Rivers and Ogun states.

Aderanti would be replaced by CP Fatai Owoseni formerly in-charge of administration at the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Chris Ezike and Abdulmajid Ali will take charge of Rivers and Ogun State commands respectively.

“It is expected that the new postings will reverse the crime wave in the affected states, while also strengthening administration in the affected strategic Force Headquarters formations,” the statement stressed.

The Guardian’s investigation revealed that Aderanti may have been removed due to increased bank robberies, especially in Ikorodu area within the last one month with perceived police inability to arrest the situation.

The resurgence of robbers and kidnappers in Lagos metropolis and neighbouring communities have become a source of worry to the state government, institutions and residents.

Last week’s armed robbery in Ikorodu in which hoodlums attacked commercial banks for several hours without any response from the police appears to have put an end to Aderanti’s tenure as the state’s police boss.

According to sources within the command, the redeployment of key officers in the state command’s Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) must have given the hoodlums terrorising Lagos now a new lease of life as the unit that had been a thorn in the flesh of the men of the underworld is now comatose.

It would be recalled that the state governor Akinwumi Ambode, recently expressed worry over the security situation in the state and requested the assistance of the Navy to check activities of robbers in the state.