Etim Effiong
Police command in Lagos State has arrested 17 armed hoodlums, who were said to be terrorising residents of Amosun, Zion, Mosalasi, and Ikale streets in the Sasi Iganmu area of Lagos State.
A police release signed and made available to journalists on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, described the hoodlums as very deadly.
He said many of the hoodlums who are miscreants, were fond of causing pains and agonies to innocent citizens as they attack, harass, and dispossess them of their belongings by brutally attacking them with dangerous weapons.
“In its bid to get Lagos State rid of cultism, hooliganism, and violent crimes, the Lagos State Police Command has intensified efforts to neutralise various groups of deadly armed hoodlums, cultists and miscreants, who are fond of causing pains and agonies to innocent residents, especially, Lagosians, within the state.
“Premised on the Lagos State Police Command’s proactive measures to curbing crimes, the police operatives attached to Orile Division of the Command, on Monday, September 14, arrested 17 armed hoodlums, who were attacking, harassing and dispossessing members of the public of their belongings around Amosun, Zion, Mosalasi and Ikale Street in Sasi Iganmu area of Lagos State, with dangerous weapons,” Adejobi said in the release.
He noted that the suspected hoodlums are Afolabi Abeeb, 18; Adeniyi Fawaz, 18; Ezekiel Kehinde, 16; Babatunde Toheeb, 17; Olanrewaju Quadri, 19; Sunday Okon, 16; Muhammad Usman, 17; Ayinla Teslimi, 18; Ayantunja Daniel, 17; Prince Ogungbemi, 17; Open Semiu, 18.
Others are Abeeb Ajayi, 14; Toheeb Lamidi, 15; Isreal Iyiyemi , 14; Omokunle Tomola, 16; Faruq Babatunde, 20, and Damilare Alabi, 15.
According to him, based on the preliminary findings by the police, the hoodlums have not been linked to any of the existing cult groups in Lagos, but have various factions that foment troubles, engage in crimes and social vices and free-for-all in the areas.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Hakeem Odumosu, while reaffirming his zero tolerance for cultism and other social vices, ordered the suspects to be profiled, investigated and charged without any delay to nip their criminal potentials and tendencies in the bud.
He assured the public of the zeal of the police to adopt modern and effective anti-crime strategies to provide adequate security for all and sundry in Nigeria, particularly, in Lagos State.