Precious Igbonwelundu
EIGHTY-six persons have been arrested for alleged cult-related violence in Lagos, the police command said on Sunday.
The suspects were said to have been apprehended at the weekend following violent clashes in the Ikorodu area of the state.
Cult violence is rife in Ikorodu, especially between Aiye and Eiye groups, with many casualties.
Police spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said detectives arrested 65 suspects at Ijede and recovered 11 assorted pistols with large quantities of ammunition.
Following up on that operation, the Special Strike Force on Social Miscreants Saturday morning arrested 21 suspects at Adamo in Imota, Ikorodu.
Elkana said the suspects belonging to the rival cult groups had mobilised themselves from Emure and Adamo to unleash terror on residents but were rounded up following credible intelligence.
“The arrest was carried out in a joint operation with operatives from Imota Police Station, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and Area N Command,” Elkana said.
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“The suspects confessed to be responsible for series of violent attacks, murder and armed robbery incidents recorded in Ikorodu. They will be charged to court. The Commissioner of Police further reaffirmed the commitment of the command to address the menace of cultism and youth gangsters in Lagos State,” he said.
The police also arrested three suspected traffic robbers and two others said to specialise in stealing vehicles at churches.
The suspected traffic robbers, Elkana said, were arrested around 5:30am on January 19 around Ipaja by detectives on anti-traffic robbery patrol (motorcycle patrol).
He identified them as Hassan Lekan, 19, Owolabi Seyi, 18, and Ismailia Ibrahim, 19, adding that they specialised in snatching handbags, phones and money from unsuspecting members of the public.
“They mostly operate between 4am and 7am. Items recovered from them include phones and bags they snatched from three different victims. The suspects have been charged to court,” he said.
“In a related development, operatives from Ipaja division arrested two notorious suspects who specialised in car snatching and stealing vehicles from parking spaces mostly in worship centres. The suspects are Bamidele Adebayo and Hakeem Taofik.
“On January 19, at about 1pm, the suspects stole a Toyota Corolla saloon car at a church in Shagari Estate Ipaja and moved the vehicle to Ijagba village in Sango Ota, Ogun State. Detectives from Ipaja Police Station recovered the vehicle at about 4pm of the same day from the suspects. The suspects were also charged to court,” he said.
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