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Tag: Lagos CP

  • We’ve beefed up security in schools, other infrastructure, says Lagos CP

    We’ve beefed up security in schools, other infrastructure, says Lagos CP

    The Lagos State Police Command has strengthened security across schools, places of worship, markets, recreational centres and event venues as part of renewed efforts to prevent threats and guarantee public safety.

    The move followed recent security breaches in parts of the country, including the attack on a Catholic church in Eruku, Kwara State, and the abduction of students in Kebbi and Niger states by suspected bandits.

    Commissioner of Police (CP)Olorundare Jimoh, who briefed journalists yesterday evening at the Command Headquarters in Ikeja, said personnel have been deployed to strategic locations across the state to ensure a crime-free Yuletide.

    “We have created a special squad to take charge of school protection, and we are making steady progress with no fear of apprehension,” he said. “Our intelligence teams are moving in and out of major areas to prevent any criminal infiltration into Lagos.”

    The police chief said security has also been reinforced across other critical infrastructure and border communities, noting that waterways are now better secured following the deployment of 26 gunboats recently launched in Lagos by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun.

    He added that a new Submarine Tactical Squad has been established to strengthen internal maritime security, while land-based patrols have been expanded through the EkoStrike Force, a rapid-response unit created by the IGP to complement the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

    Jimoh said the EkoStrike Force has improved emergency response to security flashes and has contributed to the reduction in crime levels in the state, announcing that Somolu Local Government has constructed a permanent site for the strike force. 

    He also announced the expansion of the tactical squad from 23 teams to 35, with plans to increase the number to 57 so that every local government and LCDA can have a dedicated response team.

    On the successes recorded by the command, Jimoh disclosed that 56 suspects involved in various offences including armed robbery, kidnapping, stealing, conspiracy, assault occasioning harm and threats to life were arrested during multiple operations in November.

    He said the arrests were accompanied by significant recoveries, including nine stolen exotic vehicles taken by drivers and car wash attendants, as well as one motorcycle allegedly removed from a park through fraudulent conversion and smuggling.

    Across the same period, operatives recovered six firearms, including locally made pistols, cut-to-size guns, a single barrel gun, live cartridges, and several dangerous weapons such as a machete, battle axe and assault dagger. 

    Police also seized Nigerian military camouflage, charms and fake foreign currency amounting to $4,000.

    “These achievements are a testament to our sustained November strategy aimed at dismantling criminal gangs, intercepting stolen property, removing illegal firearms from circulation, and strengthening public safety across Lagos State,” Jimoh said.

    He added that Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Tactical Squads and Unit Commanders have been directed to provide adequate security at all worship centres, especially during services and festive activities.

    “The security situation in Lagos is not alarming. We are firmly on top of the situation,” he assured. “The successes recorded are not due to police efforts alone but also the support and collaboration of residents who have continued to work with the command to safeguard lives and property.”

    Jimoh urged Lagosians to remain vigilant and continue partnering with the police to sustain the state’s security gains.

  • Lagos CP warns against disruptive activism

    Lagos CP warns against disruptive activism

    • Ikeja Division Gate inaugurated

    The Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, has warned that the Command will not tolerate any form of disruptive activism capable of endangering public peace in the state.

    The warning followed a meeting with an activist, Dr. Segun Awosany, Bernard Onigah and other civic representatives at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja.

    The CP stressed that activism must not be used to justify actions that threaten public order.

    He reaffirmed that Omoyele Sowore remains wanted in Lagos for conduct the Command considers capable of causing chaos.

    He urged Sowore to present himself at any police station, dismissing attempts to engage the police on social media as theatrics that do not address the issues at hand.

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    Jimoh defended the decision to halt the proposed protest on the Third Mainland Bridge, describing the bridge as critical infrastructure that must be protected from any activity that could compromise safety or economic activity.

    The police boss also inaugurated the new access gate and other facilities at the Ikeja Divisional Headquarters.

    The project is expected to ease movement within the premises and improve operational efficiency, especially as the Division and Area F had previously shared a single entry point.

    He lauded the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Akinwunmi Oke, for conceptualising and delivering the project, adding that the Command remains committed to upgrading infrastructure that supports effective policing across the state.

  • Don’t attack any protesters – Lagos CP tells residents

    Don’t attack any protesters – Lagos CP tells residents

    The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Adegoke Fayoade, has advised residents of the state against attacking protesters.

    Fayoade gave the advice while addressing traditional rulers and community leaders in Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe and Lagos Island local government areas during a town hall meeting on Saturday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there have been reports of a planned nationwide protest by some Nigerians over  hardship in the country.

    The protest is planned to begin from Aug. 1 and end on Aug. 10.

    Fayoade said that although police and other security agencies had met and declared that there should not be any protest in Lagos State, the residents should not attack any group or groups that might  come out to protest.

    The commissioner of police said that attacking them would mean taking laws  into one’s hands.

    “If there must be protest, it must be peaceful. We want to know those who want to protest so that we can make arrangements for their security.

    “It is your right to protest legitimately as long  as it does not affect the rights of others.

    “Any group planning a violent protest should rethink. Such a group will meet police and other security agencies. We don’t want a repeat of the #EndSARS.

    “The duty of  residents is to give the police timely information about any group planning a violent protest, it is not for them  to attack them,” he said.

    Read Also: Traders praise Lagos CP over neutralised ‘kidnappers’

    The traditional ruler of Ijora/Apapa, Oba Abdulfatai Aromire, appealed to his subjects not  to join in the planned protest.

    All the traditional rulers and community leaders said that there should not be any protest in Lagos State.

    They commended the Commander of Area J Police Command, Mrs Yemisi Ojo, for efforts in tackling  crime in the area.

    They also praised the commissioner of police  for neutralising  nine kidnappers in Mushin, recently.

    They urged the police boss to check  activities of land grabbers in their areas. 

    (NAN)

  • Lagos CP warns officers, men against extortion

    Lagos CP warns officers, men against extortion

    Hard time awaits police officers in Lagos State who extort money for bail and other offences from members of the public.

    The Commissioner of Police (CP) Adegoke Fayoade has  instructed members of the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme (PDSS) and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) to gather all reports regarding extortion by men of the police force and forward them directly to his office.

    CP Fayoade stated this in his address during an inaugural meeting held with members of the Lagos PDSS Advisory Committee. The meeting was the first meeting since its inauguration early this year.

    The Lagos PDSS Advisory Committee met to give an update on PDSS activities in Lagos State to the Police Commissioner. The meeting held at the CP’s office on Monday May, 3,  2024, was well attended by committee members.

    CP Fayoade insisted that bail is free in the state and promised to rid men of the state command of the cankerworm.

    Read Also: Electricity tariff: Labour pickets NERC, DisCos in Lagos

    The Lagos CP emphasised that people should stop paying for bail and to make a formal complaint of officers who demand for money for any offence to his office.

    Members of the PDSS Advisory Committee include the Police, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, the office of the Attorney General, the office of the Chief Judge of a State, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC), the National Orientation Agency (NOA),  the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), REPLACE (an NGO), among others.

    The Legal Aid Council State Coordinator, Mrs Iyabo Akingbade, told the  Commissioner of Police  that the PDSS continues to gain more ground in positively reforming the Administration of Criminal Justice system in Nigeria through the intervention of Duty Solicitors who visit police detention facilities to provide free legal services to suspects and ensure that the rights of citizens are protected.

    The NBA Lagos Vice Chair and Chair of the Human Rights Committee,  Mrs Esther Jimoh, and NBA Ikorodu representative, Mrs Aizighode Obinyan gave their respective reports on their recent PDSS visits to different police formations and that  they got commendable police cooperation. However, no reports came from Epe, Badagry and Ikeja on their PDSS activities.

    Jacob Dipo, from NBA Lagos Human Rights Committee, also added that from their PDSS visits to the different police formations, the best station so far is the Pedro Police  Division whose DPO CSP is Nkereuwem J. Joshua.

    Dipo told the CP that CSP Nkereuwen has been very cooperative with the PDSS lawyers and upholding of the rule of law.

    State Project Coordinator of ROLAC, Mrs Ajibola Ijimakinwa said agency undertakes to  train the Police Officers on PDSS and on maintenance of the rule of law especially as it concerns upholding the suspects’ rights and avoidance of human rights abuses.

    Mrs Grace Adenubi informed the meeting that the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria through the support of it’s local and International partners especially ROLAC/IDEA and  Duty Solicitors Network are making all efforts to ensure that citizens’ rights are protected and preserved using PDSS as a delivery mechanism for a better future for all Nigerians.

    The meeting agreed on the need for more lawyers to donate their time in volunteering to visit police detention facilities.

  • Seven facts about new Lagos CP, Adegoke Fayoade

    Seven facts about new Lagos CP, Adegoke Fayoade

    A new commissioner of police has been posted to the Lagos State Police command.

    He is Adegoke Mustapha Fayoade.

    Fayoade is replacing Idowu Owohunwa, who was deployed to Lagos as the commissioner in February this year.

    In October, Owohunwa was approved for promotion to the rank of assistant inspector general of police by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

    Here are a few things to know about the new commissioner, Fayoade:

    1. He was born on October 28, 1966, in Ila-Orangun, Osun state.

    2. Fayoade was enlisted in the Nigeria Police as a cadet officer on May 18th, 1992. He served in the operations, Administration, and Investigative departments.

    3. He holds a B. A (Edu) Hons in History and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Lagos State University (LASU) and University of Lagos (UNILAG), respectively.

    4. Fayoade was at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, USA from 1998 to 1999. From 1999-2003, he was police ADC to the former governor of Osun, Chief Bisi Akande

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    5. He was a Divisional Police Officer at Ajao Police Station, Ilupeju Police Station, and Bar Beach, Victoria Island Divisional Headquarters.

    6. He served as the Area Commander of Sango Area Command, Ogun State, where he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police and thereafter moved to Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos as DC Admin.

    7. After he got promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police, he was moved to become CP Amarment, Force Headquarters, Abuja, and later to Police Training School, Jos, and now to the Lagos Police Command.

  • Inspector to Lagos CP: save me

    A police Inspector, Olufunke Adebayo, has urged Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Zubairu Muazu, to save her life.

    She said she was detained at the Area F Police Command, Ikeja at the instance of her superiors.

    Through her lawyer Mr G. I. Ukaegbu, Adebayo, a medical staff at the Police Hospital, Ikeja, said her rights were being abused.

    She alleged she was undergoing brutalisation and torture in the cell  at Area F for alleged sexual abuse and for refusing to disclose the location of her husband, Michael.

    In a March 18 petition to the CP,

    Ukaegbu accused the officers of torturing Adebayo.

    He alleged that an officer with oversight powers on the hospital made “immoral sexual advances on the woman Inspector Adebayo”.

    The lawyer alleged that when she refused, she was maltreated and eventually tortured.

    “In the course of torturing and brutalising the woman, she slumped and was about  to die when her colleagues raised alarm and the woman Inspector was rushed to the hospital for treatment,” the petition alleged.

    Adebayo’s husband filed a fundamental human right suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos on her behalf. He demanded N71 million and an order enforcing her right.

    Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Police Medical, Police Service Commission, ACP Olubunmi Ogunsanwo, Inspector Ibrahim Babatunde and Sgt. Gbenga Agboola, are the respondents.

    The petitioner said there was a plot to kill her husband over the suit. “In order to achieve their dastardly purpose, they went to arrest the woman Inspector from her office and demanded that she produced her husband,” Ukaegbu alleged.

    The lawyer said following Adebayo’s refusal to disclose her husband’s whereabouts, she was detained and has been in the cell at Area F Command for over two weeks.

    He said efforts to make the Area Commander understand that he could not interfere in the matter as it was already before a court failed.

    “He insisted that unless the woman Inspector produces her husband, she would die in the cell.

    “What is more worrisome is that the Area Commander has ordered people at the counter not to allow anybody bring food or drugs for her in the cell,” Ukaegbu added.

    Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the CP would investigate the allegations.

    “We have received the petition and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, (CP) Zubairu Muazu, has ordered an indepth investigation into the allegations raised by the petitioner.

    “We will make our findings public as soon as investigation is completed please,” he assured.

  • Security not responsible for voter apathy, says Lagos CP

    Lagos Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu yesterday denied that observed voter apathy in some areas of the state was connected to lack of security presence during the presidential election.

    Violence sprang up in some polling units in the state during the March 23 presidential and national assembly (NASS) elections following the disruption of voting exercises by hoodlums.

    But the commissioner, who toured the state during election, told reporters that watertight security was provided for this gubernatorial and house of assembly elections to ensure voters’ safety.

    Muazu, alongside his boss, Lawal Shehu, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone Two, toured Oshodi, Okota, Ijora, Apapa and Surulere areas of the state, said he was satisfied with the professionalism of security operatives deployed for the exercise.

    “It is not true that voters did not come out because of fear or insecurity. We provided adequate security and have been assuring the electorate to come out and vote. We had assured that security measures will be doubled and also ensured that armed policemen were stationed not far from polling units to wade off miscreants.

    At most of the polling units visited, The Nation observed that voter turnout was unimpressive. At polling unit (PU) 010 on Bola Shadipe Street, Masha in Surulere, 89 persons voted as of 12:55pm out of 692 registered voters.

    According to the officials, they got to the polling unit before 8am and were waiting for voters to come out. They told our correspondent they had no issues, adding that they were waiting for 2pm to resume counting.

    At a PU along Ago Palace Way Okota, the INEC official had an altercation with the policewoman on duty over the latter’s assistance in showing some of the electorate where to thumbprint. The INEC official chided the cop for ‘interfering’ which caused bad blood between the duo.

    This issue was reported to the police commissioner, who immediately ordered the redeployment of the policewoman, reiterating the need for security agencies to keep off.

    Meanwhile, 12 suspects were arrested by soldiers in Makinde for alleged attempt to disrupt election exercise in Oshodi.

  • Lagos CP warns ballot box snatchers, others

    Lagos State Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu yesterday warned ballot box snatchers and other electoral offenders to have a rethink or face the wrath of the law.

    He gave the warning at his maiden interaction with reporters since assuming duties as the new police boss.

    Muazu said the command will ensure that offenders are prosecuted and convicted

    He said: “Our men have the ingredients of the Electoral Act. They have been well trained on what is expected of them before, during and after the elections. So when anyone who snatches a ballot box is caught, they will be tried in court and punished according to the law.

    Read also: APC to Nigerians: reject treasury looters

    “I assure you that the Police, in collaboration with other security agencies under the umbrella of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee, is ready come Saturday.

    “A very robust operation order to cover deployment of security personnel for the elections is on ground. We will ensure that there is a safe and secure environment for the electorate in Lagos to go and cast their votes without fear and intimidation.”

  • Lagos CP warns ballot box snatchers, others

    .Says no area will be left unpoliced

     

    Lagos State Commissioner Zubairu Muazu on  Thursday issued stern warning to ballot box snatchers and other electoral offenders to have a rethink or face the wrath of the law.

    Muazu gave the warning at his maiden interaction with reporters since assuming duties at the new police boss in the state.

    According to him, the command would stop at nothing to ensure that offenders are prosecuted and convicted, reminding residents that the earlier deployment of 30,000 security personnel for the exercise would be maintained.

    On the preparedness of the command to deal with such issues, Muazu said: “Our men have the ingredients of the Electoral Act. They have been well trained on what is expected of them before, during and after the elections. So when anyone who snatches a ballot box is caught, they will be tried in court and punished according to the law.

    “I want to assure you that the Police in collaboration with other security agencies under the umbrella of Inter-Agency consultative committee on this election is ready come Saturday.

    “A very robust operation order to cover deployment of security personnel for the elections is on ground, so we will ensure there is a safe and secure environment for electorate in Lagos to go and cast their votes without fear and intimidation.”

    He said the command had emplaced an election plan that covers before, during and after the exercise, stating that intelligence arm of security agencies had been deployed to gather evidence in case of prosecution of arrested suspects.

    Confirming recent cult clashes in the state, Muazu assured residents such clashes would not hamper the peace of the polls, adding that arrests have been made and suspects would be prosecuted.

    “In the last two weeks, we have had cases of clashes between rival cult groups in areas like Oworonshoki, Somolu, Bariga and Fadeyi. We are working round the clock to ensure there is peace. We want to assure Lagosians that we will make sure that these few cases we have had will not surface during the election.

    “I want to assure all Lagosians that this year’s elections are going to be well secured and so, they should come out and vote. There will be constant patrols and pin-down patrol points.
    “Arrests have been made in the cases cited and investigations are ongoing. All suspects would be charged to court soon.“

  • Drama as Edgal, Egbetokun resume as Lagos CP

    It was drama yesterday at the Ikeja Government Reservation Area (GRA) Headquarters of the Lagos Police Command where two officers showed up as Police Commissioners in the state.

    Commissioner of Police Imohimi Edgal, who was billed to hand over following his earlier redeployment, resumed at works and said he remained in charge.

    Kayode Egbetokun, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), who was to take over the baton after a joint news conference, arrived at the Command ahead of Edgal.

    The handing over could not hold due to an “order from the police headquarters in Abuja”.

    Reporters were told that the event scheduled for 1:30 pm had been shifted to 3pm.

    But few minutes after 3pm, there were jubilations in the Conference Hall where the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and the Area Commanders, waiting for the briefing by the Acting CP converged.

    Not quite long, Edgal, who briefed the reporters in the company of Egbetokun, said: “Gentlemen of the press, are you here for the handing over and taking over? Are you here because you like me or you are eager for me to leave? Well, there is a directive that the status quo should remain till further notice.”

    “I am sure that Kayode Egbetokun is an old-timer in the command. Our first job as police is order and directive; we were about concluding the handing over and taking over procedure when we were instructed by our bosses from Abuja to suspend action for now. So, there is no change of guard for now,” he said.

    He did not entertain any question.

    Egbetokun, who came with his personal effect and his personal staff, left the command, saying: “We are government agents and we are always taking directives.”

    As Edgal was leaving for Abuja to meet with the Acting Inspector-General of Police, (IG), Mohammed Adamu, there was gunshot salute.

    The policemen attached to Edgal’s convoy shot four times into the air to celebrate the “good news.”

    On arrival, Egbetokun’s car had been parked at CP’s parking lot while Edgal’s car was parked at another place.

    It was gathered that as the duo was having a closed-door meeting, a phone call, believed to be from the IG’s Office came in and directed that the change of guard be put on hold till further notice.

    After the announcement, Egbetokun’s vehicle was replaced at the parking lot with Edgal’s.