By Moses Omorogieva and Mateen Badru
Lagos – The Lagos State Police Command has recovered over N9m worth of weed suspected to be Indian hemp from criminal hideouts at Majidun and Ajegunle area of the state.
In an operation which was carried out by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), 26 suspected cultists and kidnappers were also arrested.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi, who briefed the press, said that the arrests were carried out on April 24 and April 26. “In our effort to ensure that we fight those using Lagos for hard drugs peddling and taking over our neighborhoods, a Toyota Sienna bus carrying five bales of suspected weed was accosted on April 24.
“Similarly, a bus carrying 34 bags of suspected weed was also intercepted during police patrol. The occupants of the vehicles were arrested and the owner of the exhibits has also been arrested.
“The suspected weed, valued at N9m, has been impounded and will be destroyed as soon as possible.
“On April 26, between the hours of 11pm and 3am, the creeks of Itowolo, Majidun and Ajegunle areas were raided by the operatives of Anti-Kdnapping Squad of the Lagos State Police Command.
“Assisted by operatives of FSARS Ipakodo, 26 suspected cultists and kidnappers were arrested and two bags of weed suspected to be Indian Hemp were recovered from a makeshift structure at the Creek of Ajegunle.
“The owner of the structure and the weeds was not arrested because he was not seen. In a similar vein, at 2pm, on April 27 at Itowolo Creek close to the waters, a man with a gun in his hand sighted us and ran.
“When he was pursued, he dropped the gun and jumped into the waters. One double barrel gun was recovered. Meanwhile, effort is on to arrest him,” he said.
In another development, a notorious cultist was arrested at Oworonshoki on April 17 by the operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad.
According to the CP, the officer-in-charge, Anti-Cultism, received credible information that a wanted dreaded cultist and leader of the Aiye Confraternity, who had been terrorising Oworonshoki community was sighted.
Based on the information, the O/C Anti-Cultism mobilized his operatives, went after the suspect and arrested him. Investigation is in progress and effort is on to arrest other fleeing members of his gang,” he said. (NAN)
