03032018 - APC budgets N500m for 20 vehicles

44—Vanguard, SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018
By Emma Nnadozie, Crime
Editor & Esther Onyegbula
It was like the celebrated “day
of the Jackal” as narrated by
Frederick Forsyth in his
thriller titled: Day of the Jackal.
The epicenter was the
notorious Akala, a suburb of
Lagos.
The notoriety of Akala in drugrelated
crime has never been in
doubt.
Akala holds an enviable record
of thriving in both drug-related
and other criminal activities in
Lagos State.
Stories of criminal escapades
in the area are better imagined.
It is such that security operatives
aptly branded it “headquarters
of crime” in Lagos.
Penultimate day, the Police in
Lagos decided to take the bull
by the horns.
The state Police boss, Imohimi
Edgal personally led a
formidable team of his men to
restore discipline in the area.
This was after an earlier
operation by the Police in the
area ended up in a bloody
encounter.
A team of policemen led by
the Area Commander, Mushin,
Assistant Commissioner of
Police, Akinbayo Olasoji
accosted some drug peddlers
ferrying large quantities
of assorted drugs in a
bullion van. The
audacious criminals
stoutly resisted the Police
team by firing at Police
Operatives.
The clash subsequently
created tension in Idi-Oro
and Akala areas as
business activities were
grounded. Some
residents, especially
youths reportedly attacked
the police team with
stones and broken bottles.
Later, the Police returned
with heavy reinforcement
and engaged the
hoodlums in a shootout
after which a Police
Sergeant and three others
Day of rage as Police storm drug
den, criminal enclaves in Akala
were killed.
The Police Sergeant identified
as Abam Mohammed was hit by
a bullet during the encounter. He
was rushed to the Mainland
General Hospital, Yaba, where
he later died. The raid
of criminal hideouts
in these areas became
pertinent because of
the manner criminals
living among the
people attack
residents and law
enforcement agents.
CP‘s big hammer
Based on these, the
visibly rattled Edgal
ordered a raid of
identified criminal
enclaves in Akala.
During the raid, the
criminal elements
resisted the Police by
hurling stones and
different types of
missiles at them.
They broke windscreens of cars
parked along the road while they
were fleeing from the scene.
This did not, however, deter
the police from arresting 255
suspects comprising of 246
males and 9 females.
The Police also confiscated 39 big
bags of Indian hemp and recovered
two pump-action rifles and
ammunition in the process.
Decade of violence and
criminality
For over a decade Akala has
become a notorious coven for all
sorts of criminal activities, ranging
from cult killings, armed robbery,
rape, illegal possession and sales of
arms and illegal drug trade.
At the centre of these criminal
activities is the sale of hard drugs
which has continued to induce
crime and aggravate insecurity in
Akala and its environs. Their
activities have become a nightmare
to not only security operatives but
also residents who are constantly at
the receiving end of the crises.
In a bid to sanitize the vicinity,
security operatives, especially the
Police, employed strict measures at
various times.
As far back as September 2012,
three notorious armed robbers were
arrested for armed robbery by the
operatives of the Federal Special
Anti-Robbery Squad FSARS, at
Adenji Adele. The suspects, Musiliu
Shitta aka MC 28, Lateef Balogun
aka Ika, 32, and Bolaji Salawu aka
Basia were arraigned at Igbosere
Magistrate Court on a nine-count
charge.
On May 30, 2013, a combined
team of officers of the National
Drug Law Enforcement Agency,
NDLEA, and the Nigerian Army
raided the area. The operation,
which lasted many hours, led to
the arrest of 47 suspected drug
traffickers and addicts and
seizure of 3,166.15kg of
narcotics such as cannabis,
cocaine, heroin, and
methamphetamine.
A week before then, 187.355kg
of cannabis was also sized from
an illegal warehouse located in
the vicinity.
One of the successes of the
clampdown by the Police in
Akala was the arrest of a 37-
year-old notorious armed
robber, Lanre Olowojobi, aka
Pumpy in May 2017.
Olowojobi who was arrested by
operatives of the Lagos State
Taskforce revealed that apart
from carrying out robbery
operations, he had raped over 30
women in 3 years.
Also on October 7, 2017, Police
in Lagos and operatives of the
task force during the
enforcement operations around
Akala on the directive of Edgal
arrested 50 suspected notorious
criminals with 48 bags of illicit
drugs.
Ironically, women have
become key players in criminal
activities especially, illegal drug
trade.
In one of the mid-night joint
enforcement operations led by
Mr. Olasoji Akinbayo, an
Assistant Commissioner of
Police with the Chairman of the
Lagos State Task Force, SP
Olayinka Egbeyemi and all
Divisional Police Officers under
Area ‘D’ command, Mushin, six
women including one Mrs. Basirat
Jimoh’ a.k.a ‘Iya Suzzy’ were
arrested and charged before
Magistrate Lateef Owolabi of the
Lagos State Mobile Court on 3-
count charge of unlawful
possession of weed suspected to be
Indian Hemp.
A resident, who identified
himself as Yusuf Fatai disclosed
that the area had become
dangerous at night.
“There is no time in a week that
we will not hear of robbery
incidents here. This area becomes
a business spot from 7 pm for these
boys who rob people, ‘’ he said.
Another resident, Mr. Baki
Saheed lamented thus: “For many
years, Akala has been a criminal
stronghold where gangs hold sway.
They used the proceeds to acquire
arms and ammunition.’’
Nigerians speak: Dapchi School Girls kidnap – Who is to blame?
•Modibbo
The security system is
to blame - Aliyu
Modibbo, Entrepreneur
In my opinion
government and their the
security agencies should
be blamed. There are
lapses in those villages
that are close to the bush
where the terrorists are
located hence the
abduction. There is need
for the government to
deploy more troops to
these villages. Terrorist
acts have been curtailed
in local government
areas that are not close
to the bush, so the
government should do
something about the
villages that are near the
bush.
•Ali
It’s the government’s fault -
Ali Moyemi Yaqeen,
Accountant
The government should be
blamed for the kidnap of the
Dapchi school girls, because
if they had improved on
national security especially
in the north eastern part of
Nigeria, such would not
have happened. Reclaiming
the places occupied by Boko
Haram is not enough, but
total security to protect
lives and properties. I
believe the government
should do more on
national security by
arming our security
agencies and recruiting
more people into the
armed forces, because the
ratio of security personnel to
every citizen is below par.
•Leonard
The government failed to
protect its citizens - Leonard
Chukwuma, Businessman
I wouldn’t blame the school
because they are under the
protective hands of the
government through the
security system. So also would I
not blame the security system
because security system is
fashioned in a way that you just
have to obey the last command
even if that last command is
wrong. And if you fail to obey,
your commander could still
carry out the act and blame the
damage on your stubbornness.
Then you would see people that
you’re defending turning the
blame to you again. So I blame
the government for not
protecting the lives of its citizens,
even girls and little children.
•Jeff
The government takes the
larger blame - Jeff
Unaegbu, Writer/
Cinematographer
I think the larger blame lies
on the government. We
were informed that just
after the government
withdrew troops, the Boko
Haram struck. This means
there is complicity
somewhere that needs to
be removed.
The security system also
has poor ingenuity in
Nigeria. Let me give us an
idea: The army could lay
an ambush for Boko
Haram. Just a few trusted
soldiers could put a land
mine on the path of the
approaching Boko Haram
vehicles and there will be
horror....
•Tolulope
I blame the government and
the security system -
Tolulope Adedamola,
Quantity Surveyor
I would blame the security
system and the government,
because from stories we heard,
when the attack was ongoing the
school authority contacted the
security outfits to come to its rescue.
But it took them time to respond
and only showed up when the attack
was over. My question is “why did
they bother to show up after the
operation has been successfully
carried out?”. The government,
particularly the Yobe state
government, I’m very sure collected
security votes and security which is
the paramount thing that is
meant to be provided by any
good and right thinking
government was not provided.
This is a big failure on the path
of the state government.
•Temilolu
The government should be
blamed - Temiloluwa Osire,
Agriculturist
I believe the government
should be blamed and not
the school authority or the
security, because the
government provides
facilities and welfare to the
school as it’s a government
owned school. In my
opinion, they are the reason
for the loose security in the
school due to the fact that
funds for the school
development may have been
diverted for other purposes
that we don’t know about.
The abduction on the other
hand could even be another
political brouhaha as election
is fast approaching.