By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
Police operatives have again, depleted the ranks of criminals in Lagos, arresting 66 suspects and recovering 14 firearms within one month.
Assorted firearms, which include two AK47 rifles, (one of them locally fabricated) two locally fabricated toy guns, 15 live cartridges, four expended cartridges, 25 live ammunition, five machetes and 34 bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp, were recovered within the period in review.
Other recovered exhibits are, six vehicles, two bags containing fake US Dollars, fake Pound Sterling note, two award plaques from Buccaneer Fraternity, one Buccaneer banner, a pair of police camouflage uniform, a jack knife, police identity card, two hoods, black pipes some quantity of weed suspected to be Indian hemp and sixty-six kegs of fake Total engine oil.
The Commissioner of Police Lagos State Command Idowu Owohunwa, who paraded the suspects at the Police Officers Mess, GRA, Ikeja on Thursday, disclosed that the suspects were apprehended over alleged involvement in varying crimes, which include armed robbery, unlawful possession of arms, impersonation, cultism, murder among others.
Giving a breakdown of the arrest, Owohunwa said six out of the suspects were aporehended in connection with the murder of a police officer and carting away of his rifle on 3rd August 2023 around Airport hotel.
Identified as Salami Ahmed, 30, Ismaila Adio, 22, Toheeb Muri , 23, Seyi Olajide, 24, Nelson Sunday, 34 and James Nnamani,24, the Commissioner disclosed that they were nabbed at their hideout in Alagbado and Amikanle areas of the state, with one AK47 rifle and 24 rounds of live ammunition.
He added that the syndicate was also responsible for robbing a popular night club in Ikeja on 19th of July 2023.
Also paraded were Aliu Babatunde,18, Amsa Ibrahim, 35, Sodiq Musbau, 21, Francis Omwuekhe, 26, Kazeem Adisa, 33, Yahaya Issa , 33, Ibrahim Issa, 25, Umaru Sanni, 37, Umaru Idris, 37, Haruna Abdullah, 19, Bairi Nafiu, 22, Mykinta Muhammad, 25, Emeka Ikechukwu, 35, Isaac Tobi Adebayo, 37, Bright Ahamefuna, 25, Babagana Kawu Adamu, Ibrahim Muhammed Shetima, 23, Abubakar Mygana, 23, Muhammad Baba, 24, Abdulrasheed Bello, 28 and Muri Olanrewaju, 40.
They include Sunday Olidusem, 56, Bagandida Garba, 32, Sulaiman Yusuf, 30, Sunday Odeyemi, 40, Saheed Abubakar, 35, Godwin Emmanuel, 32, Eyong Andrew, 27, Adebayo Idowu, 49, Kingsley Udeh, 38, Joseph Ezekiel, 27, Alih Muhammad, 23, Abduljeli Fatai, 20, Ismaila Amuda, 28, Francis Kelvin , 33, Jonathan Ezegboya, 52, Kingsley Udeh,21 and Abdulsalam Abubakar, 32.
According to Owohunwa, all the suspects were arrested during a raid at Orile White-sand under bridge, a criminal hideout and other black spots within the community on 9th of August 2023 between 4.00 and 6.00am.
Two machetes, two live cartridges, two hoods, black pipes, some quantity of weed suspected to be Indian hemp and two bags containing fake US Dollars and fake pound sterling notes were recovered from them.
