The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested three persons for alleged possession of substance suspected to be Indian hemp.
The police identified the three suspects as Miracle Okoh, 18; Mayokun Awodoyin, 24; and Adebola Shonaike, 20.
The police also appealed to the general public to disregard a trending video which it said some young men had released on Friday, September 25, 2020, accusing policemen attached to the Ogudu Area Command of excessive use of power and attempted extortion during the arrest.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, debunked the allegations yesterday in a statement, saying it was the handiwork of mischief-makers.
Adejobi, describing the video as “mischievous and baseless”, maintained it was targeted at painting the police black.
He said, “To set the record straight, on Friday September 25, 2020 at about 9.30am, a team of Anti-Crime patrol from Area H, Ogudu, intercepted a Chevrolet saloon car with registration number SMK 436 DE, with three occupants, on the 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 were rebuffed as they refused to come down or wind down the side glasses of the car.
“In a bid to detect and identify the occupants of the vehicle for security reasons, coupled with the police’ experience on criminals’ modus operandi, the patrol team called for reinforcement and, eventually, the three occupants were arrested and the vehicle towed to the station at Ogudu.
“During the search on them and the car, the police recovered a wrap of weed suspected to be Indian hemp and some charms.”
He added that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, had, ordered for a thorough investigation of the incident, while appealing to youths to always respect the law and surrender for check at the instance of the police.
