The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, has vowed to sustain police onslaught on areas identified as criminals’ hideouts and hard drugs gatherings in the state, especially in the metropolis.
Imohimi had, at different fora, indicated his determination to continuously raid areas known to be inhabited by undesirable elements like armed robbers, cultists and drug traffickers.
He regretted that most parents in the state had abdicated their responsibility towards their children as youths can now be found deeply involved in gangsterism.
He added that most of the violent crimes committed in the state were perpetrated by teenagers.
Reiterating at a press conference on Tuesday at the command headquarters, Ikeja, his resolve to uproot the rot, the Lagos police boss said that Indian hemp smoking joints were breeding ground for cultists and armed robbers and should not be allowed to flourish.
According to him, police raids of drug joints in Akala, an area in Mushin, Lagos metropolis notorious as the assembly of hardened criminals, had shown that most peddlers make use of street kids.
The police, since Imohinmi’s assumption as CP, had also thrice raided Ikorodu, a suburb of the Lagos metropolis where the dreaded Badoo gang members were killing their victims and wiping out families with heavy stones and pestles, allegedly for money ritual purposes.
During the raids, security operatives arrested more than 100 suspects in connection with the killings and destroyed shrines believed to be linked to the Badoo blood rituals. The killinhs have since stopped.
Imohinmi said at the conference, “We will continue to raid hideouts. In one week alone, the command arrested about 17 armed robbers, three kidnappers and 37 cultists. We recovered from the suspects 13 different arms, 22 live cartridges and one expended AK 47 ammunition.
“Other recovered items included seven vehicles, knives, three battle axes, assorted charms, and drugs with a street value of N3 million.”
Some residents in the state told City News that while the police still have a lot to do to rid of Lagos of crimes to a large extent, they can relax a bit these days with many undesirable elements in police detention.
A legal practitioner and human rights activist, Gabriel Giwa-Amu, said that he can now drive home feeling safe after the day’s job without any fear of being harassed by miscreants who often lurk around the corners during traffic to rob people in their vehicles.
The Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC, Lagos, Oba Momodu Afolabi Asafa, the Aladi Onijanikin, also endorsed Imohinmi’s performance so far as “ok”, adding that his community policing project was an effective initiative.
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