Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have successfully apprehended 32 individuals suspected of engaging in a wide range of criminal activities over the past month. The Command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, made this announcement while parading some of the suspects at the State Police Headquarters in Ikeja.
According to Hundeyin, the suspects were allegedly linked to crimes such as product adulteration, firearm fabrication, armed robbery, theft, and cultism, among others. In the course of their arrests, law enforcement seized a significant cache of weaponry, including 25 firearms, which intriguingly included a toy gun, as well as 74 live cartridges, 12 expended cartridges, and 12 long pipes.
Furthermore, the police also recovered various tools and items associated with criminal activities, including two drilling machines, a gas cylinder, a vehicle, fabricated tools, two daggers, one UTC axe, numerous charms, and 251 adulterated wires.
Hundeyin reported specific incidents where the police acted swiftly. One arrest occurred on September 18 when a 27-year-old individual posing as a dispatch rider was caught vandalising vehicles by removing critical components like brain boxes and other parts.
Additionally, based on actionable intelligence, a blacksmith factory allegedly involved in producing firearms for sale to criminals in Idata Village of Ibeju-Lekki was raided on September 11. During this operation, two suspects were apprehended, and numerous firearms, cartridges, and manufacturing equipment were confiscated.
The police also managed to arrest a wanted cultist and armed robber on October 11 in the Yaba area. The suspect had killed a rival cultist, and the subsequent investigation led to the apprehension of six others in the Ikorodu area. Law enforcement confiscated two locally made single-barrel guns, one double-barrel shotgun, live cartridges, a dagger, and assorted charms.
In a separate incident, an individual wearing a full military uniform was arrested on October 2. This suspect was part of a gang that specialised in harassing, intimidating, and extorting members of the public.
Hundeyin noted that all the arrested suspects would face legal proceedings once the investigations were concluded. In a separate development, the Lagos State Police Command encouraged individuals possessing illegal arms and ammunition to surrender them without facing arrest or prosecution. This directive aligns with the Inspector-General of Police’s efforts to collect illicit firearms from non-state actors across various jurisdictions. Hundeyin emphasised that the crackdown on illegal firearm fabrication, sales, possession, and usage within the state would continue.
