…Lagos CP says criminals now carry weapons in luggages
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, has raised the alarm of the new method adopted by criminals to ferry arms and ammunition.
Owoseni called on transporters to be security conscious and conduct checks on travellers’ luggage properly before beginning their journey.
The police boss spoke yesterday at the launch of Eminent Persons Forum, Idimu Police Division chapter and the inauguration of a multipurpose hall built by the residents of the community.
Owoseni said the transporters would help in no small measure in checking criminal activities at their motor parks as some of these bad elements had been arrested in motor parks after their bags were checked and weapons were discovered.
He said: “Some criminals had been arrested in motor parks with guns stocked in their bags, while trying to escape and smuggle their weapons out of the state.”
Owoseni also advised parents, who always allow their children to walk alone to school, to desist from it henceforth. According to him, the action of the parents gives kidnappers the opportunity to operate by luring the innocent children with biscuit.
The commissioner also advised land–lords to do background checks on prospective tenants before offering them accommodation.
He said: “Following the ongoing bombardment of militants in the creeks of Lagos and Ogun states, some of them who have escaped from there may be looking for where to hide their guns and ammunition in the state. It is important for you landlords to know the kind of people you rent your house to.
“When you conduct background check on someone who is about to pack into your house, you will be able to know if such a person has a criminal background. Get the picture of the person and do proper checks to avoid calamity.”
Owoseni also warned residents on the type of friends they keep whenever they go to beer joints, because some of these militants use such places as their hideout.
The commissioner said some of the militants cum oil pipeline vandals had been escaping as a result of the bombardment on the creeks of Lagos and Ogun states by the joint military task force.
This, according to him, this prompted the luggage check on travellers and background check and new tenants.
Also, Owoseni said the Eminent Persons Forum would serve as advisory body to the police.
He said: “The Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, has mandated that every command should inaugurate it at their various divisions throughout the country. The forum would make input and partner with the police by fighting crimes in their neighborhoods.”
The police chief also said the IG had directed every police officer to work with the public in a robust manner. He said: “You, members of the public, are the police not we. Those policemen who collect money on the road are the reflection of the society who give them money. You should also take our mistakes as your mistakes because you are the ones encouraging them to continue.”
The Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Civic Matters, Hon Kehinde Joseph, urged the residents to cooperate with the police in fighting crime.
He said: “With the provision of security gadgets by the state government to the police as well as the proper use of the equipment has made it possible for the police to reduce the crime rate in the state drastically.”
