Police nab 2,329 suspects, impound 4,502 motorcycles in Lagos

CITIZENS COMPASS —Within a period of 100 days in office, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade, on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, said a total number of 2,329 suspects have been arrested for various crimes while 4,502 motorcycles have been impounded in the State.
The operations occurred within his days of assumption as the state Commissioner of Police.

The CP disclosed this during a press briefing and parade of suspects at the Officer’s Mess, Ikeja area of Lagos.
He said out of the figure, 2,253 have been prosecuted while many others are currently being processed for prosecution.

Adegoke said the motorcycles were impounded on banned routes and have been handed over to the State Government for crushing.

The operations were part of the achievements of the CP who upon resumption in Lagos, presented a ten-point strategic road map to Lagosians.

He gave the breakdown thus;

“In the past days, I have piloted the affairs of the Command with all sense of professionalism, charging my men to be up and doing and not sparing the big stick on officers found wanting. We have rejigged our township patrol, paying special attention to high-risk areas, especially at peak periods. This has helped a lot to reduce traffic robberies.

“The enforcement on the ban of motorcycles is not left out as our continuous enforcement drives have been yielding positive results.
“A total of 4,502 motorcycles have so far been impounded on banned routes and have been handed over to the State Government for crushing.

“Since I assumed duty, a total of 2,329 suspects have been arrested for crimes ranging from cultism to armed robbery leading to the recovery of stolen property. In the same vein, a total of 2,253 have been prosecuted while many others are currently being processed for prosecution.

“Upon assumption of duty, I presented to Lagosians my ten-point strategic road map. I have kept faith with that document and have ensured that all the goal-oriented plans therein are actualized. For the sake of emphasis, I will reiterate my ten-point strategic road map.

* Attitudinal rejuvenation of the Lagos State workforce to ensure quality and optimum service delivery.

*. To build trust and improve the extent of interpersonal relationships between the good people of Lagos and the police.

*. Police visibility will be high, while policemen will be accessible, open and responsive to the problems and needs of the citizens. More dedicated lines will be added to existing ones for accountability and feedback.

*. Inter-agency cooperation and collaboration will be strengthened at all levels to enhance safety and security and improve the quality of the Justice Administration.

*. Periodic and unannounced spot checks on holden cells, and police stations and inspection of arms and ammunition being carried by personnel to ensure compliance with official regulations.

*. Respect for human rights, derived from the inherent dignity of persons and protection of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of all citizens shall be ensured.

*. Officers must adhere strictly to the code of conduct and ethics of their noble profession and maintain the highest standard of integrity both on and off duty.

*. Establish partnerships with the media and organized community groups to promote better police service delivery.

*. To partner with the health sector to ensure the continuous well-being of officers and men for healthy and quality service delivery.

*. To establish an accessible mechanism of receipt of complaints made by members of the public for a swift and impartial investigation to complement the effort of the Command Complaint Response Unit.

“Specifically in the past month, the Lagos State Police Command has arrested sixty-four (64) suspects who have engaged in varying crimes including armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful possession of illicit drugs etc., and recovered a total of twenty (20) firearms including four toy guns, (120) rounds of toy ammunitions, twenty-eight (28) live ammunitions, fifteen (15) live cartridges and three (3) expended cartridges alongside recovery of (4) vehicles, POS machine, (7) cutlasses, illicit drugs and various charms.

“A breakdown of these recent achievements is as follows:
“On March 3, 2024, at about 0310hrs, operatives of the Lagos State Command, upon credible intelligence gathered concerning the activities of some hoodlums terrorizing Agbara and its environs, swung into action and arrested one Stanley Sunday ‘m’ aged 23, Damilola Osun ‘m’ aged 19 and My toKabiru Taiwo ‘m’ aged 24 in connection with cult-related activities. One locally made cut-to-size single-barrel pistol was recovered from them.

“On March 5, 2024, at about 0204hrs, operatives of the Lagos State Command, upon credible intelligence gathered concerning the activities of some hoodlums swung into action and arrested one Jovi Anu ‘m’ aged 27, Endurance Ifoma ‘m’ aged 30, Bolaji Olaojoyegbe ‘m’ aged 25 and Richard Akinde ‘m’ aged 27 in connection with cult-related activities. One locally made cut-to-size single-barrel pistol with five live cartridges was recovered from them.

“On February 21, 2024, at about 1500hrs, officers of the Command rescued one Daniel Nwalem ‘m’ aged 28 and Solomon Nwalem ‘m’ aged 30 from mob action after the duo snatched a motorcycle in the Ayobo area. Solomon who was fatally injured died some moments after while Daniel was taken into custody. One locally made pistol was recovered at the scene. The duo was a syndicate that specialises in snatching motorcycles around Ayobo environs and selling them off, further investigation led to the arrest of their receiver one Oliver Edel ‘m’ aged 56 on March 12, 2024, at Alagbado area of the state.

“This is a case that deals with Kidnapping which happened on February 20, 2024, where three men, one in military uniform accosted a young man and subsequently abducted him in a Honda Saloon car and demanded ransom.

“The victim then transferred the sum of four hundred thousand naira to his abductors before he was released to another group who took him away in their Toyota Camry car, obtained him of his Diamond earrings, gold earrings, Cartier wristwatch, and iPhone 12 pro max and then demanded for a ransom of Six million, four hundred thousand Naira, a friend of the victim paid the sum of fifty thousand naira to the abductors.

“Upon reporting of the case, luckily, the victim was able to identify a young lady whom he saw pointing at him before the incident. Investigation led to the arrest of Zara Onyesom ‘f’ aged 28, Abayomi Olalere Ishola ‘m’ aged 28, Chima Cyril Collins ‘M’ aged 29, Oluwasheun Illre ‘m’ aged 40 and Ayodabo Olumuyiwa Muyideen ‘m’ aged 38. One Honda Saloon car and a Toyota Camry car were recovered. All items obtained from the victim were also recovered and handed over to him. The case has been charged to court.

“On March 7, 2024, at about 0900hrs, officers of the Command arrested one Malik Kolawole ‘m’ aged 40 and Muiz Abiodun ‘m’ aged 23 around Idotun area of Ibeju Lekki. One locally made single barrel pistol with one live and three expended cartridges were recovered from them.

“On February 10, 2024, operatives of the Command arrested one Odubola Suleiman ‘m’ aged 29 and Owuye Temitope ‘m’ aged 38, both wanted and notorious cultist members.

One locally made pistol was recovered from them. The case has been charged to court.

“On March 4, 2024, at about 1530hrs, based on credible intelligence, operatives of the Command arrested one Taiwo Olaleye ‘m’ in possession of three short locally-made cut-to-size guns.

“On March 4, 2024, at about 1500hrs, operatives of the Command arrested one James Chinedu ‘m’ aged 32 around Ishashi area. One locally made pistol with two live cartridges and charms was recovered from him. He confessed to being a member of a confraternity.

“On March 14, 2024, at about 0630hrs, operatives of the Command arrested one Clement Ajayi ‘m’ aged 57 who was seen loitering around Badagry expressway. Some quantities of weed suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered from him. He is suspected to be a drug peddler.

“On March 13, 2024, at about 2300hrs, operatives of the Command arrested one Paul Robert Daniel ‘m’ aged 42, Sunday Solomon ‘m’ aged 26 and Jennifer Ngozi ‘f’ aged 32 around Ilogbo/Ajangbadi area in possession of some quantities of substance suspected to be Methamphetamine (ICE). They are suspected to be drug peddlers.

“Based on credible intelligence on the activities of some group of boys suspected to be members of a confraternity terrorizing Ijanikin/Bagary area of Lagos State, Police operatives of our officers were dispatched to the area where one Segun Sunday ‘m’ aged 25, Adeyemi Oyero ‘m’ aged 28, Siliki Akeem ‘m’ aged 26, Emeka Collins ‘m’ aged 36, Lukmon Okedeyi ‘m’ aged 26, Oyebola Mustapha ‘m’ aged 26, Akinola Omisesan ‘m’ aged 34 and Abass Taiwo Hassan ‘m’ aged 35 were apprehended.

“On March 15, 2024, at about 1740hrs, operatives of the Command arrested one Aliu Umaru ‘m’ aged 25 and Sabiu Abdullahi ‘m’ aged 20 in possession of a toy gun around the Badagry Seme border. They are suspected to be armed robbers.

“On March 18, 2024, at about 2100hrs, operatives of the Command stopped and searched a minibus around the Iyana isolo area when two of the occupants took to their heels upon engagement while one Idowu Jelili ‘m’ aged 36 was arrested in possession of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp. Investigation revealed that they are a three-man one chance syndicate. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing members. The case has been charged to court.

Our resolve is to continue to improve on our performance by regularly reviewing our strategies, re-jig our men and motivating them for better performance.

Our relationship with the members of the public will remain cordial and we shall continue to respond to incidents promptly, we shall be more visible and accessible and dominate all the nooks and crannies of the State.

“We shall be engaging with the community to build trust, gather information and collaborate on addressing safety concerns. We shall also leverage on technology integration, using modern technology like surveillance, GPS tracking and data analytics for better monitoring and response.

“Our inter-agency collaboration remains intact and we still leverage on it to enhance general security measures, and strengthen the legal why m framework, thereby ensuring that laws are clear, enforceable and support the efforts of the police on maintaining law and order.

“Our training and capacity building will not be left out. We have lined up training that will continuously ensure that police officers are well-equipped intelligently and professionally to handle various situations effectively and efficiently.