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Tag: Owoseni

  • Eyo Festival: Akiolu, Owoseni warn against violence

    Eyo Festival: Akiolu, Owoseni warn against violence

    The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni and the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu have warned Lagos Islanders against acts of violence during the Eyo festival on Saturday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the duo gave the warning on Thursday when Owoseni visited the Lagos monarch at Iga Iduganran.

    The visit was in preparation for the Lagos@50 Eyo Festival which will hold on Saturday at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

    The police commissioner warned the Eyo masqueraders against violence, adding that any masquerader caught would face the wrath of the law.

    Owoseni also urged Lagos islanders to maintain law and order during the festival.

    He advised leaders of the masquerader groups to provide names of four persons from each group that would assist the police for proper identification.

    The police commissioner added that reflective jackets would be provided for those selected to assist security agents.

    Earlier, the monarch said that any masquerader that took law into his hands, causing unnecessary unrest would be handed over to the police.

    “Lagos@50 celebration is a thing of joy for us to thank Almighty Allah. I remembered the day the creation of Lagos State was announced, we were indeed very happy.

    “On the second day, a boat was brought here and we left for the Bar Beach with all the chiefs; every Lagosian should be grateful to almighty Allah for the celebration.

    “Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Mobolaji Johnson, previous governors and all those who contributed to the creation of the state, particularly Teslim Elias, were there,’’ Akiolu recalled.

    He noted that about 262 years before the arrival of the British, Lagos was administered by the traditional rulers.

    The traditional leader said that he had directed the head of the Eyo Masqueraders, otherwise known as “Adimu Orisa’’, to perform their usual display at the TBS square.

    “We love peace in Lagos and we embrace everybody for it. I have directed the head of the Eyo to restrict the celebration to the TBS because it is spacious,’’ he said.

  • Owoseni to DPOs: shun bribe or leave Lagos

    Owoseni to DPOs: shun bribe or leave Lagos

    Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni yesterday warned Area Commanders (ACs) and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to shun bribery or leave Lagos State.

    He also gave DPOs 48 hours to clear their cells, saying nobody should be detained beyond 48 hours.

    Owoseni was delivering a lecture on Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officers at the Police Officers Wives’ Association (POWA) Hall in Ikeja.

    He warned that the era of impunity and corruption among cops was gone, appealing to his subordinates to seek transfer if they would not play by the rules.

    The police chief said: “I am tired of hearing about shooting or killing of innocent persons. No one has the right to take another man’s life. It is only God that has the right to take life. It is your responsibility as a DPO to know those who are collecting bribes under you. If you refuse to stop them, they will stop you from being a DPO.

    “It is embarrassing to see policemen collecting bribes and chasing Yahoo boys for a DPO. I will not cover any DPO. I will expose you. Just leave Lagos before I get to your station. I cannot share out of your misconduct. I will give your photographs and details to journalists to expose you. I am shocked to hear that some ACs and DPOs are on the pay roll of fraudsters. I am investigating. Just pray that I don’t get you. Just know that you are causing pains for taxpayers if you are intimidating them and collecting bribe from criminals.”

    Owoseni said it was “a curse to build a house with the money. The building would collapse on your head. Some of you even take people to the bank to collect money. If you train your children with the money, they will not be useful to you.

    “If those who were in the force before us bastardised it, we would not have the opportunity to be enlisted in the police. I am tired of pleading with police victims because you are doing what you are not supposed to do. Remember, one day, you are going to die and give account to your creator. ”

    He ordered the DPOs to “go back to your areas of jurisdiction and warn your men against brutality, indiscriminate use of handcuffs on pregnant women, elders and persons with disability. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) should take note. I will not tolerate any act of indiscipline.

    “Learn a lesson from the DPO of Ijeshatedo, who shot dead a fashion designer. He is in our custody and we are compiling charges against him. He would soon be arraigned. All DPOs in Ikorodu should use all resources within their disposal to fish out the Badoo cult group that has been wreaking havoc on the community.”

  • Owoseni detains DPO over fashion designer’s death

    Owoseni detains DPO over fashion designer’s death

    Ijeshatedo Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Mohammed Yakubu has been detained over last Sunday’s killing of a fashion designer, Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni said yesterday.

    Owoseni said the DPO would be prosecuted for Jamiu Ayoade’s death if found culpable.

    Yakubu, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), allegedly shot Ayoade dead at a friend’s birthday. Two others were reportedly injured.

    The police chief said the DPO was detained following the uncovering of fresh facts about the incident.

    He said: “I told you that we were investigating and we have sent undercover policemen to the family of the deceased and the scene of the incident. We spoke to many people. We now have a true version of the story contrary to what the DPO told us.

    “The police under the leadership of the Inspector-General operate in a manner that all actions must be in tandem with democratic principles and respect for human life. We would not condone any act of impunity. All those that are adorned with police uniform and get involved in impunity are not part of us.

    “The DPO is under investigation. If we find out that he is not one of those officers that belong to the new Nigeria Police, the law will take its course. The DPO has been taken into custody. I have met with the family of the victim and we found out that it was imperative that investigation be carried out.

    “The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCIID, the Area C Commander and the Commander X Squad has started the investigation. I’ll leave no stone unturned and we would not sweep the matter under the carpet.

    “As soon as evidence is put up, the officer or whoever committed the act of impunity would face the wrath of the law.”

    Before his detention, the police had said the DPO nor any other policeman, fired the fatal shot.

    A police source yesterday told The Nation that the police’s earlier position was informed by what Yakubu told Owoseni.

    The source said: “The DPO even lied to the Commissioner of Police that some cultists engaged themselves in a battle of supremacy and that he went to the scene following a distress call to his office. He said he went to the place to disperse the hoodlums. He said as at the time he arrived at the scene and left, nobody was killed and that he was surprised to hear that somebody was shot.

    “Following the DPO’s briefing to the CP, he challenged the deceased’s family to produce the body of their son who was shot, but, the family had buried him according to Islamic rites.

    “With media reports on the killing, the IG ordered the CP to personally visit the scene. The CP sent some under cover policemen who visited the house and he was shocked with the revelations from witnesses.

    “He immediately ordered the arrest of the DPO, who is currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti.”

  • Owoseni detains DPO over fashion designer’s death

    Owoseni detains DPO over fashion designer’s death

    I jeshatedo Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Mohammed Yakubu has been detained over last Sunday’s killing of a fashion designer, Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni said yesterday.

    Owoseni said the DPO would be prosecuted for Jamiu Ayoade’s death if found culpable.

    Yakubu, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), allegedly shot Ayoade dead at a friend’s birthday. Two others were reportedly injured.

    The police chief said the DPO was detained following the uncovering of fresh facts about the incident.

    He said: “I told you that we were investigating and we have sent undercover policemen to the family of the deceased and the scene of the incident. We spoke to many people. We now have a true version of the story contrary to what the DPO told us.

    “The police under the leadership of the Inspector-General operate in a manner that all actions must be in tandem with democratic principles and respect for human life. We would not condone any act of impunity. All those that are adorned with police uniform and get involved in impunity are not part of us.

    “The DPO is under investigation. If we find out that he is not one of those officers that belong to the new Nigeria Police, the law will take its course. The DPO has been taken into custody. I have met with the family of the victim and we found out that it was imperative that investigation be carried out.

    “The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCIID, the Area C Commander and the Commander X Squad has started the investigation. I’ll leave no stone unturned and we would not sweep the matter under the carpet.

    “As soon as evidence is put up, the officer or whoever committed the act of impunity would face the wrath of the law.”

    Before his detention, the police had said the DPO nor any other policeman, fired the fatal shot.

    A police source yesterday told The Nation that the police’s earlier position was informed by what Yakubu told Owoseni.

    The source said: “The DPO even lied to the Commissioner of Police that some cultists engaged themselves in a battle of supremacy and that he went to the scene following a distress call to his office. He said he went to the place to disperse the hoodlums. He said as at the time he arrived at the scene and left, nobody was killed and that he was surprised to hear that somebody was shot.

    “Following the DPO’s briefing to the CP, he challenged the deceased’s family to produce the body of their son who was shot, but, the family had buried him according to Islamic rites.

    “With media reports on the killing, the IG ordered the CP to personally visit the scene. The CP sent some under cover policemen who visited the house and he was shocked with the revelations from witnesses.

    “He immediately ordered the arrest of the DPO, who is currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti.”

  • Owoseni: Police choppers unfit for night patrols

    Owoseni: Police choppers unfit for night patrols

    •’Ishawo marauders won’t go free’

    Police helicopters do not have capacity for night patrols, Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni said yesterday.
    Speaking on Friday’s attack in Ishawo, Ikorodu, in which 12 persons including policemen and a soldier were killed, Owoseni said only specialised planes could do night surveillance.
    But police put the casualty figure at six.
    He said only the Nigerian Air Force owned such planes. The police chief, however, absolved the military of any blame in the matter.
    According to Owoseni, Nigerians should praise the policemen and army officers, who laid down their lives to rescue residents that were being attacked.
    He said: “You will agree with me that it’s over six months we heard of any such attack. Police helicopters are in good shape and being used effectively. But you need to know that police helicopters are for surveillance and they don’t have capacity for night patrol.
    “It is only the air force that has air craft with such abilities because it is their domain. This is not to blame any agency because there’s been good synergy between the police and sister agencies. That was why the Army Captain didn’t hesitate to join forces with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) when he called for backup. The officers and men who responded to that distress call put their lives on the line.
    “We lost two inspectors and two rank and file in the attack. It’s a painful loss but the culprit won’t go scot free. The officers and men won’t die in vain. We would hunt them and bring them to justice. There is no way you would kill security agents on national duty and think you can go scot free. Wherever they are, we are going to hunt them down.
    “At the moment we are working assiduously. We are assuring Nigerians that whoever, wherever, those criminal elements are, we shall hunt them. Whatever it is going to take us we would get them and that would be the last of their heinous acts.”
    Owoseni assured the residents of their safety, noting that undercover policemen were on ground.
    He said: “Considering the circumstances of the incident, you don’t have to see policemen in uniform. It is part of our operational strategy. However, there is a police division at Ishawo, which buttresses police visibility in the area. Men of the Nigerian Army are also physically present there.
    “For people to say that there is no police is false. We have policemen but not in uniform. What more sacrifice could the police give than the lives that have been laid for the safety of the people?”
    On the injured Owutu DPO, Owoseni said he was doing fine, adding that other injured persons, including a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), were responding to treatment.
    He said: “We have been following up with the treatment and he is in a stable condition as assured by the doctor.”
    Owoseni said four policemen, an army captain and a civilian died in the attack.

  • Ambode, Owoseni urged to intervene in land tussle

    Ambode, Owoseni urged to intervene in land tussle

    The chiefs, indigenes and residents of Orile Fowoseje in Ibeju Lekki Local Government of Lagos State have appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to save them from land grabbers.

    They urged Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni to prevent their land from being snatched by hoodlums.

    Spokesman for the community Chief Najimdeen Fatai Ojomu, at a news conference in Lagos at the weekend, said    Orile Fowoseje belonged to Ojomu Royal Family, adding that it had been in existence for centuries.

    He said: “We have been selling land to residents since 1997. They bought the land with the government gazette.

    “We were shocked when land grabbers invaded our community. They were armed and they killed and injured people because they wanted to snatch our land.

    “We are the owners of Orile Fowoseje. The land belongs to us by inheritance because our ancestors occupied it centuries ago.

    “We implore Governor Ambode and Police Commissioner Owoseni to save us from land grabbers. We don’t want to take the law into our hands as law-abiding people. This is why we are urging the government to intervene.”

    The Chairman of Orile Fowoseje Community, Mr. Ajenifuja Adebomi Victor, also implored Governor Ambode and Police Commissioner Owoseni to curb the excesses of the land grabbers “before the situation gets out of hand.”

    Said he: “We have been pushed to the wall. Our patience has been exhausted. We beg our amiable and hard working governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to rescue us from land grabbers. We also appeal to Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni to save us from these hoodlums who have been terrorising us. Enough of these killings and maiming.”

  • Police rescue abducted Indian in Lagos

    The police said on Thursday that an Indian man has been rescued from suspected kidnappers in Ikorodu area of the state.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, stated this at a weekly news briefing at the state police command, Ikeja.

    Owoseni said the Indian was working at a construction site when the incident happened.

    “Our men rescued the Indian national before the kidnappers could take him into the creeks. The suspects escaped in their boat,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the commissioner as saying at the briefing.

    Owoseni added that five robbery and one kidnap suspects were arrested in the last one week in different parts of the state.

    He said four guns, five cars and other items were recovered from them.

  • 295 policemen killed last year, says Owoseni

    295 policemen killed last year, says Owoseni

    •Two suspected robbers killed,
    1,171 others arrested in 26 days

    No fewer than two hundred and ninety-five policemen were killed in active service in Lagos State last year, Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni said yesterday.

    Briefing reporters on his command’s activities last year, Owoseni said two robbers were killed and 1,171 other suspects arrested between December 11 and last Tuesday.

    He said 16 arms, 40 ammunition, 24 vehicles and 1, 055 motorcycles were recovered.

    Of those arrested, Owoseni said 47 were suspected armed robbers, 14 suspected cultists and the 1,110 others nabbed during raids on criminals’ hideouts, adding that one of the major security challenge in the state was murder occasioned by cultism.

    He said 1,028 were charged to court, with 745 of them convicted. He added that 82 were discharged.

    Owoseni said 155 suspects were discharged by the court, adding that 128 are awaiting trial.

    He unveiled a new software application for smart phones, SmartPolice which works with Google map and enhances the report of distress calls by residents. It also ensures timely response by security agents.

    According to him, the software which can be downloaded from any of the smart phones’ stores will enhance interaction between the police and the public, and also monitor policemen’s response to distress calls.

    “Once the application has been downloaded, the phone user has two options to either sign up with his name and address or sign up anonymously. After registering, there is a red button on the app which the user is expected to press when in distress or around a crime scene. Once the button is touched, it will signal the control room and the nearest patrol team to the area will be there…,” he said.

    Owoseni said a female officer was promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police; other officers were also promoted.

    “This gesture further demonstrates the priority given to the welfare of officers. I hope that it will boost the morale of the beneficiaries and also better their performance,” he said.

    Warning his men to shun vices that affect the police image, Owoseni recalled the killing of two siblings and their friend on December 26, by a policeman who shot himself, noting that he has been disciplined posthumously.

    He denied that the police are not paying attention to the bereaved families, stating the actions taken since the incident occurred.

     

     

  • Owoseni: Killer-cop will be dismissed posthumously

    Owoseni: Killer-cop will be dismissed posthumously

    The late Sergeant Stephen James, who shot himself after killing three men in Lagos last Saturday will be dismissed posthumously, police chief Fatai Owoseni said yesterday.

    The late James, Owoseni said, would be tried posthumously and dismissed.

    “We will try him even in death and dismiss him for his action. We want to use this medium to sympathise with the bereaved families. We apologise for the irrational action of the policeman, who also took his own life,” Owoseni said.

    He added that the late James could no longer remain in the police after his callous behaviour.

    James killed three men, including two siblings, in Ketu, Lagos for asking him to behave well at a bar.

    The late Taiwo and Kehinde Oyesunle (the only children of their mother) and their friend identified as Jeje, were said to have admonished the late officer, who entered the premises of Paulson Hotel on Anibaba Street, and harassed customers to buy him drinks.

    James, with force number 217884 attached to MOPOL 22, Oduduwa, GRA, Ikeja, was said to have threatened to shoot if anyone dared him.

    An eyewitness said the policeman ambushed and killed the three men, as they stepped outside the hotel premises where they had gone to celebrate Jeje’s birthday.

    It was gathered that when he realised the implications of his action, the policeman shot himself on the chest.

    In the ensuing confusion, passersby and residents scampered to safety.

    An angry mob, The Nation gathered, attempted to burn the hotel and the policeman’s body but for the swift intervention of police officers from Ketu division.

    The mob was said to have thrown bottles and stones at the hotel, prompting lodgers to flee their rooms.

    A guest at the hotel, who witnessed the killings, said that the policeman had boasted about wanting to kill people hours before the incident happened.

    The customer, who identified himself simply as Femi, said all efforts to pacify the policeman proved abortive as he kept fomenting trouble harassing visitors with his gun all afternoon.

  • Ex-Traffic warden, others arrested for faking Tinubu, Owoseni, DSP

    Ex-Traffic warden, others arrested for faking Tinubu, Owoseni, DSP

    Four persons, including a former warden have been arrested for allegedly impersonating All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni and a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

    They are Lucky Adieze, 24, John Ogunnowo, 23, Obinna Collins, 21 and Afoke Adetolani, 58.

    Parading the suspects yesterday, Owoseni said their arrest followed tip-off from the public on how criminals were using the Facebook, a social media and police uniform to dupe people.

    Adieze who impersonated Tinubu said: “I am a hip hop musician and I opened a Facebook account with Tinubu’s picture to attract people. I think it was the person who gave me his account number that made police to find me and arrest me two weeks ago.”

    John Ogunnowo, 23 who gave Adieze his account number said: “I work in an health organization but when I lost my job, I was trying to look for money to enable me go back to school. I only gave him my bank account number not knowing that he had bad intention that will end up putting me in trouble.

    “When I went to the bank to collect money, I was told that my account was zero and in an attempt to know why, police arrested me.”

    Collins, who claimed to be National Diploma II Electrical Engineering Student said: “I opened a Facebook account using CP Owoseni because it is only way to attract victims. Once they see CP, they would believe everything I tell them and I would get the money I wanted. This particular woman, Mrs Ronke, a business woman is the only victim. I was chatting with her and she ended up paying N20, 000 into my account. I initially told her that I had boys whom I am training in higher institution and I have a foundation that is taking care of it.

    “Surprisingly Mrs Ronke told me to come and meet her at Conoil, Ikeja to collect something she wanted to give me as a hard working Commissioner of Police. I asked her whether she knew the size of my shoes and she said it does not matter that what she wanted was to have fun with me. She however insisted that she wanted me to collect the shoe and iPad as a remembrance of our love. She said she had been nursing the idea of having fun with me and that was what she wanted for her life.

    “Unfortunately for me, when I came to collect the golden shoe and the Ipad, I was arrested by the police.”

    Adetolani, a former traffic warden inspector known as yellow fever, impersonated DSP.

    He said: “I was dismissed because my colleague who stole a tyre from a parked exhibit vehicle in police station said that I planned it with him. I tried to defend myself but they insisted that we did it together and both of us were dismissed.

    “To help myself and my family, I decided to do something smart. I first bought this uniform and later bought the DSP rank and ID card and uniform for N15,000. I was dismissed from Surulere division in 1984. They framed me up and dismissed me.

    “I bought a bus for commercial purpose but my offence is that I hanged this uniform in my bus so that police, LASTMA, KAI, road safety and other law enforcement agents will not disturb me on the road. You can see that the name I used is my real name. I was stopped at Oshodi by police and I told them that I am a police DSP and they paid me my compliment but told me that they still wanted to investigate me.

    “It was that investigation and interrogation that gave me up. I tried to bribe them yet they refused and told me that police have changed and that it was no more business as usual. But one thing is clear; I did not rob with it. I only used it to get respect and easy passage whenever I meet law enforcement agents. Please tell police to forgive me, it is due to the hardship I was passing through after my dismissal.”