Lagos State Police Command has apprehended over 200 suspects for alleged armed robbery, cultism, possession of hard drugs and kidnapping in the state.
The new Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command, CP Ishola Olanrewaju confirmed that arrests on Wednesday during his maiden press briefing at the headquarters of the Command in Ikeja.
He stressed that the feat was achieved within a week of his assumption in office as the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, while reading the riot act to criminals in the state.
CP Olanrewaju noted that hard times await anyone with a criminal mind and that the era of begging criminals to repent or relocate from the state was over, maintaining that he has come to Lagos to pay hoodlums in their coins.
The Lagos Police boss restated that the arrest of the suspects would be a warning to others planning to commit crimes to choose either to repent or test the might of the police.
According to him, “I am not boasting, I have worked in Lagos in different capacities, and I know the state in and out.
“Last week when AIG Zone 2 command, Adegoke Fayoade handed the mantle of leadership to me and gave me the strategies that he used to police the state, I made it clear that I am here for business and I mean it. To God be the glory, I have fine and dedicated officers who have worked with me in different capacities. My team is formidable and dedicated to duty.
“As you all know, I don’t sit in the office and allow my officers to work, I go with them. I lead operations and the result is what you are seeing.
“In one week, we have raided bad spots and made this number of arrests. I am not saying that all of them will be charged to Court, no. We are going to profile them to know those who were in the wrong place at the time we raided.
“We will separate the innocent from the bad boys. We are aware of prison congestion, but that is for the judiciary to decide what to do with them, I cannot say because of prison congestion, I won’t do my job as the CP. We must do our job as policemen. Well, don’t think that I won’t do my job. I will arrest anyone who commits a crime.
“I am not begging any criminal to repent or relocate to other states. If I ask you to relocate, I am causing problems for the neighbouring state and pushing works to them. I should arrest them here and send them to jail”, he averred.
Meanwhile, items recovered from the suspects include ten (10) firearms, forty-one (41) live ammunition, twelve (12) phones, one vehicle, USD402, 39 bags of cement, one vehicle, one laptop, one ton of iron rods, various substances suspected to be hard drugs, axes, hammer, daggers, knives and charms.
