Police dismiss alleged Ogudu harassment, recover charms, Indian hemp

Etim Ekpimah

The Lagos State Police command has denied a trending video accusing the police attached to Ogudu Area Command of harassment, excessive use of power and attempted extortion, which was released on Friday.

The command, however, rebut the allegations and urged the public to regard the video as mischievous, baseless and an attempt to paint the police black.

A statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos State, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, noted that a team of Anti-Crime patrol from Area ‘H’, Ogudu, intercepted a Chevrolet saloon car with number plate SMK 436 DE, with three occupants, on Ogudu Expressway, Lagos State.

He added that the glasses, front and back, of the vehicle are fully tinted which aroused the suspicion of the patrol team; and efforts to get the occupants identified was rebuffed, as they refused to alight or wind down the glasses of the vehicle to be seen.

“To set the record straight, on Friday 25/9/2020 around 9.30am, a team of Anti-Crime patrol from Area ‘H’, Ogudu, intercepted a Chevrolet saloon car with number plate SMK 436 DE, with three occupants, on Ogudu Expressway, Lagos State. The glasses, front and back, of the vehicle are fully tinted which aroused the suspicion of the patrol team; and efforts to get the occupants identified was rebuffed, as they refused to get off or wind down the glasses of the car.

“In a bid to detect and identify the occupants for security reasons coupled with the police’s  experience on criminals’ modus operandi, the patrol team called for a reinforcement and eventually, the three occupants were arrested and the vehicle towed to the station at Ogudu. The occupants were identified as Okoh Miracle, ‘m,’ 18; Awodoyin Mayokun, ‘m,’ 24, and Shonaike Adebola, ‘m,’ 20.

“During the search on them and the car, the police recovered a wrap of weed suspected to be Indian hemp and some charms,” he said.

Adejobi said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu has ordered for thorough investigation of the incident, while appealing to Lagosians, particularly, the youths, to always respect the law and surrender for check at the instance of the police.

According to him, the commissioner also reiterated that in as much as the police will uphold the rule of law, protect human rights and dignity, it will not condone dissemination or spreading of fake, unfounded or malicious news to malign the image of the Nigeria Police or create security threats in the state.