…65 OTHERS FOR VARIOUS CRIMES
By Okosun Dennis
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Idowu Owohunwa, said that the command has arrested a traffic robber in possession of a strange gas gun called “Spyder Victor”, the first of its kind in the history of firearm recovery from criminals.
Parading the suspects and 65 others at the Police Officers’ Mess, Ikeja Lagos on Thursday, revealed that his men swung into action following concern raised by Lagosians about the illicit activities of the traffic robbers, hence they were deployed to flash points leading to the arrest.
According to him, policemen laid an ambush against them on the night of the 30th of August, 2023, at Eko Bridge. While one of the robbers was apprehended, the other in an attempt to escape, jumped to death from the bridge.
Recovered from him was a machete and the gas gun, the first of its kind in the history of arms recovery. It is strange and we haven’t recovered this type of gun before now in police weaponry. We are investigating to unravel the source of the gun.
The suspect while speaking with our correspondent said he was a tailor but the late friend gave him the cutlass and asked to accompany him to the Eko bridge before the police swooped on them and arrested him.
The 22-year-old man, a father of two kids said the late friend should come and tell the world that he wasn’t a robber. Asked why he accompanied him with the cutlass, knowing full well that it was a weapon, he wept profusely and became incomprehensible.
Explaining that they have achieved a lot in the fight against crime and criminality within Lagos State in the past month or thereabout, especially with the launch of “Operation Flush,” Owohunwa said that they have also arrested several cultists (Buccaneers) who have grown in their trade to the extent of making plaques they gave to their members as an award, adding that they have recovered several firearms from them.
“We have a total of 66 suspects who have engaged in varying crimes including armed robbery, unlawful possession of arms, impersonation, cultism, murder, etc.
“From all these cases which we successfully cracked, we recovered a total of 14 firearms including two AK 47 rifles, one of them locally fabricated, two locally fabricated toy guns, 15 live cartridges, four expended cartridges, 25 live ammunition, five machetes, 34 bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp.
Others are six vehicles, two bags containing fake US Dollars, fake Pound Sterling notes, two award plaques from the Buccaneer fraternity, one Buccaneer banner, a pair of police camouflage uniforms, a jackknife, a police identity card, two hoods, black pipes some quantity of weed suspected to be Indian hemp and six kegs of fake Total engine oil.
Also paraded were two fake policemen in fatigued camouflage who were said to have been employed by an undisclosed Estate as security guards while in possession of fake AK-47 rifles.
CP Owohunwa also revealed that some robbers who killed a policeman at Airport Hotel, Ikeja were arrested and recovered the police rifle including his gun.
“On 3rd August 2023, about 2200hrs, based on intelligence gathering on the armed robbery incident around Airport Hotel, Ikeja that led to the brutal murder of a police officer and the carting away of his rifle.
“Operatives of the Command embarked on a discreet investigation and arrested one Salami Ahmed, 30, Ismaila Adio, 22, Toheeb Muri, 23, Seyi Olajide, 24, Nelson Sunday, 34, and James Nnamani, 24 at their hideout in Alagbado and Amikanle areas of Lagos State.
“One AK47 rifle with 21 rounds of live ammunition were recovered. It was revealed that the syndicate was also responsible for robbing a popular nightclub in Ikeja on the 19th July 2023.
The CP, therefore, used the opportunity to advice individuals and companies seeking police services to follow the right channel to avoid falling into the wrong hands.
As a result, the Command has set up a task force headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations to checkmate illegal duty officers by identifying such officers and promptly arresting them for further disciplinary action. The task force has since commenced work.
