Police, Traffic Robbers In Supremacy Battle On Lagos Roads

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Since the end of #EndSARS protest, which turned violent, robbers have displayed a kind of courage by engaging in the supremacy battle with the Nigeria Police on Lagos roads.

P.M.EXPRESS investigation revealed that traffic robbers had taken over some roads and started robbing people with impunity having realised that the attacks on Nigeria Police really demoralized the officers.

However, it appears that the officers of the Lagos Police Command are gradually regaining their confidence and decided to bring back sanity to the State.

This followed the recent arrest of traffic robbers, who have been terrorizing residents in various locations in the State and had taken over some roads.
 The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that Policemen attached to Morogbo and Victoria Island Divisions respectively, engaged and arrested some traffic armed robbers at various locations in the state. 

He said, “On November 17, 2020, the Policemen attached to Morogbo Division, while on patrol on Badagry Expressway, engaged a gang of traffic armed robbers in a gun duel where one of the gang members fell while others fled.
 The gang had earlier shot and injured a Corporal attached to the Police Border Patrol team around the area and dispossessed him of his motorcycle.

“Items recovered from the gang included a locally-made gun with some live cartridges and the Police Corporal’s snatched motorcycle” Adejobi said. 
He hinted that Policemen attached to Victoria Island Division, on November 18, 2020, engaged another gang of suspected armed robbers and arrested a member of the gang, Ajayi Lateef, 19, with a dummy gun. The gang had robbed a tricycle at Victoria Island at the same date at about 1am.

The PPRO, Adejobi, made another disclosure in a statement on how the Police had taken firm control of the security of the State and stated:
“The Command has arrested seven suspects in connection with the attacks on operatives of the Lagos State Task Force and other Anti-One Way Special teams at various locations in the state.”
“They will be charged to Court, so as to serve as a deterrent to others, who are fond of attacking security operatives while on their lawful duties” he said.

Adejobi stated that the State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu has warned that the Command was ready to curtail any act of lawlessness on full enforcement of the Lagos State Transport Sector Law (2018) in the state.

Odumosu gave the warning in his office at the Command, Ikeja, while reviewing the ongoing traffic operations in the state with the management team of the Command. He emphasised the need to clamp down on traffic violators, who had caused a series of lawlessness, road crashes and accidents, leading to loss of many lives and damaged property. 

Odumosu warned commercial motorcyclists and other categories of violators to respect the law as any attack on Police officers, other security agents and unleashing terror in the state wouldn’t be tolerated.

He added, “Any act of lawlessness or crimes will be resisted by security operatives within the ambit of the law”.