Nigeria: Police in Lagos Parade 32 Suspected Traffic Robbers, Cultists, Others

The police recovered one hammer, five axes, five locally-made pistols, two locally made double-barrel, twenty-two live cartridges, two expended cartridges, two 9ml live cartridges and one Hilux vehicle from the suspects.

The police in Lagos on Thursday parades 32 suspects alleged to have been engaged in various criminal activities, including cultism, traffic robbery and others across the state.

The state commissioner of police, Idowu Owohunwa, told journalists that one hammer, five axes, five locally made pistols, two locally made double-barrel, twenty-two live cartridges, two expended cartridges, two 9ml live cartridges and one Hilux vehicle was recovered from the suspects.

The commissioner, represented by the Command's spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, said that in the Ikorodu area of the state, eight well-known notorious cultists were arrested and would be arraigned immediately after the parade.

He stated their names as Akinwale Abiodun (31), Shola Salawokara (36), Adewunmi Adeniyi (33), Ganiu Gbadamosi (37), Nojim Kasamotu (32), Abraham Abuba (39), Agoro Ariyo (18) and Awotehinde Sikiru (39).

The commissioner said they also recorded a case of theft around Ilupeju, in which two suspects were apprehended for being in the custody of a Toyota Hilux.

"The Toyota Hilux was actually on a car stand, and two people came in the middle of the night to rob and cart away this vehicle. It later turned out that one of the robbers is actually a security guard employed by the owner of the car stand," he said.

"On the day of the robbery, he was off-duty. He, however, connived with one other to come and rob the place leaving the security on guard seriously injured while they took away the Toyota Hilux.

"We swung into action immediately we got the information, and we were able to recover the vehicle in far-away Kaduna state and also arrested two receivers in whose custody we found the vehicle. The main perpetrators are on the run, but we are closely monitoring their location, and very soon, they will be apprehended."

The commissioner also said that he had charged the police tactical units to take battles to the doorsteps of cultists, which led to the arrest of three notorious cultists in the Isolo area of the state.

He said that out of the three arrested, one Oluwatosin Adebimpe, 31, popularly known as Seventy, who has been causing unrest, was arrested in the Itire area of Isolo. Others are 39-year-old Razak Agbabiaka and 32-year-old Saheed Olaolokun.

Meanwhile, in Ijora-Badia, Underbridge and its environs, the police also arrested 11 traffic robbers caught in the act of engaging in traffic robbery in and around the area while adding that they will be arraigned immediately after the parade.

They are Kasim Ibrahim(20), Sharafadeen Isiaka (25), Kingsley Okpolo (42), Toheeb Dauda (19), Al-Amin Ahmed (19), Waheed Fisaur (19), Ariyo Taofeek (20), Quadri Azeez (22), Ibrahim Ajomagberin (27), Ibrahim Ali (29) and Babagana Ulama (24).

Five suspects were arrested by the police tactical unit in the Magbon Area of Badagry and one, Ademefun Jamiu (27), in Abattoir for cultism.

Mr Owohunwa said the police are not relenting in their effort to fight cultism, robbery and other criminal activities in the state.

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