Lagos State Out For Raiders

Since he came to power, the new Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has busied himself with tackling security issues. It has been there before he was elected.

To be sure, Ambode had to plead with the Nigerian Navy and other stakeholders to be part of the efforts to rid the state of crime

He said: “Lagos State is the commercial hub of the country. The state is therefore strategic and cannot be allowed to become a breeding ground for criminals. My administration has therefore resolved to evolve strategies that will frontally confront insecurity through collaborative efforts of the government, the private sector and security agencies. The rise in the spate of armed robbery must be stopped."

Not resting on his oars, the governor again engaged other critical stakeholders, especially the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and this synergy has been yielding fruitful results.
Now headed by Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, the RRS undoubtedly has been working hard to achieve its mandate.

Among  several robbery incidents in recent times in Lagos State, one too difficult to comprehend was how a pastor with the Lords Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministries, Pastor Chukwuemeka Akpokpo, was shot dead recently after he was trailed from a bank to Apple junction, Amuwo Odofin area of the state.

But the most dreadful armed robbery attack occurred on June 1, at the Ikorodu area of the state. The robbers had a field day at the First Bank and Wema Bank brances in the area, where they killed two people and injured several others in the process.

And despite the heavy presence of the police and some men of the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy, the notorious armed robbery gang terrorising the Ikorodu area struck again two weeks after.

After holding the Ebute Road, at the Ogolonto area of Ikorodu hostage for about an hour, and robbing two second generation banks successfully, the gang escaped.

Also in March, at the Lekki area of the state, some armed robbers stormed the area and held hostage people at the First City Monument Bank (FCMB), carting away N15million from the bank.

Wielding sophisticated weapons and dressed in military camouflage, the gang had accessed the bank in two speedboats through the Lekki waterways and killed five persons, including three policemen; Inspector Bethel Agbobu, Sgt. Odehowo George, Cpl. Imoisiu Ikechukwu and two civilians; Sowemimo Kabiru, Miss Sarah Ibikunle, a 15-year-old fish seller, in the process.

Four of the suspects, 38-year-old Duke Odogbo, 31-year-old Lawrence Kingsley, 20-year-old Ebi Tosan, and 30-year-old Ekelemo Kuete, were later arrested.

Surveillance and Arrests

The spate of armed robbery in Lagos State would soon be a thing of the past according to RSS leadership. Indeed, the squad has busied itself with surveillance of some major black spots across the state and arrest of criminals in hundreds

The first set of arrest the squad made was on a Wednesday, July 21, after they raided some black spots in the state. The squad had raided the popular Oshodi area and arrested 93 hoodlums.

The suspects who were made up of 23 juvenile delinquents, three underage girls and 67 adults were picked up during an operation to raid criminal hideouts. The special team of crack police detectives and a team of RRS D-coy operatives had stormed Oshodi and its surroundings under the bridge.

it was gathered that the raid was based on an intelligence report made available to the police that the suspects were in the habit of robbing, snatching handsets and valuables from innocent citizens especially at night.

The raid which was carried out by 1am caught the suspects unawares as they were said to have been  playing cards and smoking weeds. They were all arrested and transfer to RRS office for interrogation. To ensure innocent people were not picked up in the raid, the suspects were all screened at the task force office in Alausa and 20 persons were released after they were able to prove their innocence.

While the 23 juveniles were handed over to Ministry of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Education, to be kept in their custody pending rehabilitation, 39 others suspects were transferred to the Lagos command for necessary action.

With the success achieved in the first raid, the squad again embarked on the raid of another Lagos black spot. Storming the Ijora area four days later, the RRS arrested 16 suspects. As part of measures to rid Lagos of criminal elements, some of who have of recent held the state hostage, the RRS 16 arrested the suspects at different hideouts at the Ijora area of the state.

The suspects were picked up after intelligence reports fingered them for assisting and providing cover for criminal gangs before and after different armed operations. The police said the raid is a continuation of the onslaught against criminals in all parts of the state by the state government in its bid to create a secured environment for prospective investors.

The suspects were identified as Uguru Michael, Nwibo Solomon, Adamau Muhammed, Lawal Ibrahim, Dairu Muhammed, Igboke Ndoka and Gambo Garuba.

Others include Orife Phillips, Wasiu Bojuola, Azeez Adeboye, Saheed Ojuola, Abdullai Usman, Okudete Nwaokwu, Ezekiel Nwayim, Chigozie Nworu and Nwegone Mathew.

Confirming the arrests, RRS Commander, Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said it was based on the commitment by the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to make the state  safe.

He said, "We arrested sixteen suspects during a raid on suspected hideouts for hoodlums. In the Ijora neighbourhood and they were properly scrutinised.

The raid on Ijora was sequel to the complaints on the activities of men of the underworld, who have continued to terrorise law abiding residents of the area.

"We received complaints from residents and business owners and officers from the RRS were deployed to comb the area and the result was the arrest of the 16 people.

"The exercise will be a continuous one because the state government is determined to rid the state of criminals and create an environment for peaceful co-existence among residents and business owners.
Again, the raid will not be limited to Ijora. We have had it in Oshodi and we are still going to ensure that every part of Lagos is covered in the renewed fight against criminals in Lagos."

Again, buoyed by previous successes, the squad three days ago smashed two notorious armed robbery gangs and arrested three suspects.

it was gathered that the squad had first arrested two suspects who were successfully robbing motorists at the Ijora-Olopa area of the state. The suspects, 22-year-old Murtala Saka and 26-year-old Bashiru Muibi, were picked up around the National Arts Theatre, at the Iganmu area of the state.

The RRS mobile teams were said to have been alerted by some victims in two separate cars, who had just been attacked and robbed them at Ijora - Olopa. Acting immediately, the squad gave chase and successfully nabbed the suspects. They have since been charged to court.

In a similar development, another RRS mobile team also smashed the notorious Mile 2 syndicate and arrested one of their members who have been terrorising the Mile 2 area for months.

The suspect who was sighted attacking his victim after breaking one of the glasses at the side of his vehicle , while in traffic was given chase and arrested.

The suspect, 33-year-old Ugochukwu Otuneme, while confessing to the crime admitted that he is a member of the traffic robbery syndicate, with specialty in snatching and robbing innocent residents of their belongings during peak of traffic grid-lock around the Mile 2 area.

Ugochukwu who lamented that his gang members absconded when the RRS team descended said, "I came to Lagos in 2010. Before I joined this robbery gang,  I was a bus conductor where I met one of the gang members who introduced me to his colleagues in the robbery. It was devil who pushed me into this act."

Calling on Lagosians to be vigilant, RRS Commander, ACP Disu, advised motorists to exercise caution especially when caught up in traffic,  by always winding up their windows. He also urged Lagosians in general to be  courageous enough to report any suspicious movement and criminalities in their neighbourhood to the police, adding that necessary actions will be embarked upon by the police who are already at every part of Lagos state.

He said the strides by the RRS team to free the state   from criminal activities by men of underworld is in tandem with the commitment of the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni  to make the state safe for all and sundry.

With the recent successes recorded in riding Lagos of crime and criminals, it is without gain saying that the onus lies of the police and indeed the squad to sustain the momentum and ensure a crime-free Lagos devoid of fear of men of the underworld.

Source: Thisdaylive