Governor Sanwo-Olu arrested robbers in traffic

…Taskforce Strike Force Impounds 105 Motorcycles

The war against criminality in Lagos State has gone a notch higher as the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, personally arrested a gang of suspected criminals, which specialises in harassing motorists and road users in traffic.

The gang of suspected criminals met their waterloo Monday morning while attempting to unleash terror on a motorist around Ojota in-bound Alausa. Help however came for the motorist as Governor Sanwo-Olu’s convoy approached the scene to rescue him from the three machete-wielding criminals who were at the time, trying to forcefully drag him out of his vehicle.

The suspected robbers

The security personnel attached to the Governor swooped on the suspects, retrieved the dangerous weapons from them and arrested the three of them.

It would be recalled that Governor Sanwo-Olu while handing over security equipment purchased by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, for the use of Lagos Police Command, on Thursday June 10, said there would be no hiding place for criminals in the State.

One of the suspects

“We are determined to stabilize the security situation in Lagos State, as our own contribution towards lasting national security. Let me also use this opportunity to sound a note of warning to all criminals who are operating in Lagos State or planning to operate here; all armed robbers, kidnappers, cultists, bandits, and other criminals, we will leave no stone unturned in making this State inhospitable to you. We will find you, wherever you may be lurking and we will bring the full weight of the law on you,” Governor Sanwo-Olu declared.

The brand new crime-fighting equipment donated to the Lagos State Police Command were; 150 Double Cabin Vehicles, 30 Saloon Patrol Vehicles, 1,000 Ballistic Vests; 1,000 Ballistic Helmets, 1,000 Handheld Police Radios/Walkie-Talkies, 100 Security Patrol Bikes; two Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs), four High Capacity Troop Carriers and two Anti-Riot Water Cannon Vehicles.

One of the three suspects

Governor Sanwo-Olu stated after his security personnel arrested the three machete-wielding criminals that the exercise was a warning signal to other criminal elements and prospective traffic robbers in Lagos that there is no hiding place for criminality in Lagos State.

Also on Monday, the Strike Squad of the Lagos State Taskforce carried out a massive raid on motorcycle (okada) riders at Second rainbow and Toyota Bus Stop along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

During the raid, which lasted for some hours, a total of 105 motorcycles were impounded. Prior to Monday’s raid, a total of 201 motorcycles were impounded last week.

What Sanwo-Olu Government Needs to Do More

Not a few Lagos residents considered what Sanwo-Olu did as chivalrous. However, since he cannot personally be everywhere, here are what he needs to do to secure Lagosian in traffic and elsewhere.

*More cops on motorbikes should be deployed to patrol Lagos roads. They can be made to operate on shifts so that there will not be room for these desperados who take advantage of the night to attack motorists in passengers.

*Policemen used to stand at half a kilometre distances from one another on Third Mainland and other major bridges in Lagos. The gun bearing sentries were inter visible to one another. They were threats to robbers on the bridges, who might want to take advantage of traffic snarls. Let these sentries return.

*More CCTV cameras need to be installed in every nook and cranny of Lagos. In some areas of Alausa, these gadgets have, one time or the other, caught people who beat traffic light or people whose vehicle documents had expired. The culprits received notices of fine.

So, beyond tax or revenue generation, the cameras should cover everywhere. So, if “Big Brother is watching..,” criminals will be kept at bay.

*Lagos should, through necessary legislation and negotiations with the Police, make personnel of Neighbourhood Watch to carry guns. With that, they will complement efforts of Nigerian cops.

*Light up entire Lagos. Criminals are like cockroaches that love the dark. When the light is switched on, the paratroopers will drive for cover. This also applies to criminals who love operating under the cover of night.