Death Of Police Sergeants Leads Command To Clear Criminal Hideouts In Lagos

In a bid to arrest the hoodlums who killed a police sergeant attached to Area D command, Mushin, the Lagos state Police Command last night raided criminal hideouts in  Akala, Mushin, and Itire, Odu-Eran canal, Surulere areas of the state.

According to reports at least 256 suspected hoodlums were arrested, amongst the arrested were nine girls. 39 bags of  Indian hemp and two pump action riffles, suspected to have been used in the attack that led to the death of the policeman and two others.

Explaining how the policeman was killed, the Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, said the Area Commander, Area ‘D’, Olasoji Akinbayo, led a team of policemen to Akala, upon receiving report that a bullion van was sighted offloading Indian hemp, arms and ammunition.

He said: “During the raid, there was an altercation between the hoodlums and the police resulting in the death of two of the hoodlums and the death of a policeman. Based on that incident, on Wednesday, I personally led all senior officers of this command and a total number of 500 policemen to the following places: Akala, Itire, Odoeran canal areas all within Mushin, Surulere areas, in search of some of the hoodlums responsible for the death of the policeman.”

“For many years, Akala has been a criminal stronghold where gangs, fueled by the proceeds of Indian hemp sales, have held sway, using the proceed to acquire arms and ammunition to challenge security operatives.

“At the end of the raid, we arrested the following: In Akala, we arrested 91; in Itire, Odu-eran canal where hoodlums murdered the LSNC personnel, 165 persons were arrested, in total 256.”

The Guardian gathered that for two nights, on Tuesday and Wednesday, policemen raided the Akala/Idi-Oro area of Mushin at about 11:00p.m. to pick up hoodlums. However, some area boys initially resisted the attack by throwing stones and broken bottles at the police, while there was a shooting spree, before the hoodlums were overpowered.

After the area boys beat a retreat, the policemen banged into residents houses and arresting every young men suspected to be peddling drugs or harbouring area boys.