MEET FRANK OSHANUGOR
By Frank Oshanugor
Police detectives from the Lagos State Police Command have cracked a robbery syndicate led by a serving police Sergeant.
The Sergeant and two others are currently being interrogated at the State Command Headquarters for the roles they played during their robbery escapades.
Investigation revealed that the mode of operation of the syndicate was to pose in a Toyota Highlander SUV, as policemen on routine patrol, and began to pick unsuspecting motorists for some spurious offences for which they would threaten to take to the victim to any security formation, pending when the alleged offences were taken to court.
According to the police sources, the unsuspecting motorists, would be pleading with the syndicate not to take them to to the station and they would negotiate on how much to pay for settlement.
However, the gang met its’ waterloo, when members were threatening to take a female motorist to the Lagos State Transport Management Authority ( LASTMA) office in Oshodi, where they claimed that the vehicle would be impounded and thereafter, auctioned.
It was during the negotiation on how much the woman would pay that detectives, who had been on the trail of syndicate stormed the scene and apprehended two of the suspects, while two others took to their heels.
According the police, ” the syndicate could threaten to take their victims to any security formation. It could be the EFCC, LATSMA, Police or any paramilitary organization, pending the offence they alleged that their unsuspecting victims committed”.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police Mr Idowu Owohunwa,who paraded the suspects along side 30 others for various offences, especially cultism, described the police Sergeant as a deserter,” he had since deserted the Force. He was transferred to another State, but he failed to report there, and chose to connive with other criminal elements to be impersonating the Force and tarnishing our image.
“His arrest was sequel to a viral video on the social media by a legal practitioner,who reported how a syndicate which was using a Toyota Highlander SUV, would arrest motorists and collect huge amount of money from them for frivolous offences. We have to deploy our tactical teams to go after the gang and here are two members of the gang .We have declared manhunt for other members of the gang who are on the run “.
The CP, who was represented by Lagos State Police Publlic Relations Officer (PPRO),SP Benjamin Hundeyin,said that the police have declared emergency on cultism, as the greatest challenge of the Command has to with the menace of cult activities.
Hundeyin, said a great number of the cultists were arrested in Ikorodu, Badagry, and Isolo, adding that three of the notorious cultists terrorising Ikorodu, led by a cultist,nicknamed ’70’, in Isolo had been arrested.
He lamented that the number of cultists in the state was swelling daily, saying that cultism was no longer restricted to Students, as artisans were also involved,” we advise parents, school managements, religious organizations ,and community leaders to step in and talk to their children to channel their energies towards better things and not cultism.
According to him, among the 32 suspects who were paraded, 17 were suspected cultists; 11 traffic robbers, two impersonators, and two others are robbers.
Hundeyin,said that the CP Special Squad 2, recorded a great achievement,as the officers were able to recover a stolen Hilux pick-up van in Lagos from Kaduna,” it is really a great success .”
