By Chris Paul Otaigbe
Acting on Kaftan Post’s publication of alleged extortion by bad eggs in the Agbowa Police Station, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police redeployed all the personnel posted to the Agbowa command.
This was exclusively disclosed to our correspondent today, by the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana.
According to him, the Lagos State command has been actively combating the rapidly growing crime rate in the State.
Although, he admitted that he was not aware of the other case in which one of the personnel, D.T.O Adebayo Ojo was alleged to have bullied another Agbowa resident into releasing his land on false charges.
He assured that the State Command will investigate the matter and apprehend those involved.
Similarly, he recalled the armed robbery operation that was foiled by his men at Lekki today as another example of the Police readiness to defeat crime and bring it to zero level.
The incident occurred at an estate in the Lekki suburb of Victoria Island Lagos (name withheld).
A group of dare-devil armed robbers was operating within the estate when an off-duty police officer who was on a private visit to the besieged estate stumbled upon the gang of criminals. The highly alert police officer immediately radioed for back-up from the Rapid Response Squad and the felons were caught in their nefarious act.
In the ensuing cross fire, the law enforcers got the better of the law breakers, shooting dead four out of the five gun-toting armed robbers, while the surviving teenage criminal was shot in the leg by the anti-robbery squad.
Through the clever use of the surviving member of the gang, the police intelligently lured the remainder of the criminal associates out of their hole to have their day with justice.
The Police was also able to device efficient means through which they were able to arrest the informant who gave the armed robbers the information that brought them into the estate.
Since the lockdown, security situation in Lagos and other cities in Nigeria which were not in any way a paradise, have become one of a hell.
However, the Police and other law enforcement agencies have intensified patrol and surveillance to combat hooligans and armed robbers who have made it their stock in trade to rob, maim and murder people, and peace, as many hapless residents are locked down in the nation’s desperate efforts to combat the global coronavirus pandemic.
Expressing his gratitude to members of the public who give the security Agency heads up on activities of men of the underworld, the Lagos PPRO explained that the public has a great role to play in keeping the State safe and secure.
He said the Police is doing its best to respond promptly to tips from the media and the general public, particularly to deal with hoodlums and criminals trying to take advantage of the lockdown order to put Lagos under the siege of crime.
Referring to the tips by Kaftan Post Correspondent, Bala said the illegal extortion perpetrated by the personnel misrepresenting the force may have taken the State command longer to detect without the heads up they got from our correspondent in the course of investigating the story.
The PPRO reiterated that the Nigerian Police is doing its best to erase the popular impression that has been projected into the minds of the public that the Police is out to extort the residents.
He however, said the public needs to believe in the current administration of the Force and assist in bringing criminals living within their neighborhoods to justice, adding that security is everybody’s duty.
