Police parade 31 suspected robbers in Lagos
From Chuks Collins (Onitsha) and Odita Sunday
JUST one month after taking over from his predecessor, the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Israel Ajao paraded no fewer than 31 suspected armed robbers last Wednesday at state Police Headquarters in GRA, Ikeja.
Parading the suspects, Ajao said: "In the usual spirit of Operation Fire-for-Fire, the one-month period of my assumption of office as the Commissioner for Police in the Lagos State Command has yielded a harvest of 31 armed robbers, 37 assorted firearms and 156 rounds of different types of ammunition".
He said: "On May 5, one locally-made gun and 10 live cartridges were recovered from a gang of armed robbers who were operating in a building along Ogudu-Alapere Road", adding that some of them were caught and arrested.
According to him, "the command recorded great successes in the arrest of armed robbers, recovery of arms and ammunition in the one-month period under review".
Ajao urged Lagos residents to assist the command in the fight against men of the underworld.
He said activities of hoodlums and those in possession of illegal arms should be reported to the police.
Ajao disclosed that a police sergeant was killed by robbers during the period.
Besides, the Anambra Police Commissioner, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu has warned officers serving in the state to desist from extorting money from and harassing residents under whatever guise.
The warning, which was contained in a circular to all the units and formations within the state, also warned dismissed police officers, other serving officers and their civilian accomplices of the command's readiness to deal squarely with anyone caught in the act.
He fingered the Onitsha Area Command, especially the Niger Bridge Head where he noted the notorious policemen who were alleged to have made life unbearable for residents, visitors to the area and travellers passing by.
According to the commissioner, "a monitoring unit has been set up to check the alleged illegal activities in the state with special emphasis on the Onitsha Bridge Head point".
He said: "Any dismissed policeman caught after this warning will be severely dealt with while any serving officer caught will be dismissed and prosecuted with his collaborators".
Ogbaudu advised road users and citizens of the state to resist any attempt by serving or dismissed policemen to extort money from them for whatever reason. He also enjoined them to remain law-abiding and give the command valuable information on any suspicious character or movement.
However, some journalists on an official assignment were alleged to have been intercepted on their way to Nsugbe, Anambra-East Local Council of the state by some shabbily dressed policemen. The policemen forced the motorcyclists conveying them to part with N40 each out of the N60 fare charged on June 16, 2004 at the Nsugbe/Nkwelle Ezuraka Bridge.
All entreaties by the reporters even after identifying themselves and their mission fell on deaf ears as the apparently drunk and drowsy officers insisted that "even if you are the IG, our money roger here is N40 for motorcyclists and N60 for buses".
While waiting to see if the officers could shift ground, the reporters were shown the money by other vehicles to justify their position.
Also recently, the Okpoko Police Station, a suburb of Onitsha, smashed an eight-man syndicate of armed bandits who specialised in robbing Lagos-bound luxury buses.
The robbers told journalists that their gang operated between Onitsha and Jos in Plateau State. Two were killed in an exchange of fire with policemen while four, including the gang leader and the one who sustained a gun shot injury and went for treatment, were also caught.
Ogbaudu appealed to the public for more information, assuring that all would be treated in strict confidence. He praised the efforts of the medical doctor who alerted the police on the injured robber.
