The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 48 cultists by special tactical team deployed after masterminds of violent clashes in Mile 12 community in Kosofe Local Government Area of the state.
It also confirmed that a man identified as Sadiq Oloyo was stabbed to death by one Aliyu Shuaibu around 1am with many others injured after violence broke out at the Gengere area of Mile 12.
Confirming the development, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said that the arrested forty-eight suspects were in connection with the crisis that broke out between hoodlums in the area.
Through a statement on Thursday, Adejobi said that following the arrest, the command would be adopting twenty-four hours surveillance in ensuring normalcy is totally restored in the area.
Giving details of the crisis, said that the failure of the deceased to get medical attention led to reprisal attacks by rival gangs, whom he said, went on rampage and caused commotion in the area.
“On the strength of this development, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, directed that additional men be deployed to the area to restore normalcy while forty-eight (48) of them were arrest.
“The Police boss has ordered that the hoodlums should be made to face the full wrath of the law and serve as deterrent to others who might want to foment troubles in the state.
“Odumosu has therefore affirmed that the command and other security agencies will adopt 24-hour patrol and surveillance in the area until the culprits involved in the crises are brought to book and total law and order is restored in the entire area.
“The Commissioner of Police however warned that the command will not tolerated any act of violence and lawlessness in any part of the state as all hands are on deck to suppress any criminal act within the ambit of the law,” the statement said.
It would be recalled that the recurrent crisis, particularly among rival cult members in Mile 12 area had forced Odumosu on Tuesday to placed no fewer than 13 masterminds of clashes in the area on watch list.
The police boss also ordered immediate arrest of the 13 leaders of warring groups of Gengere Community, Mile 12, Ketu Areas for their alleged involvement in the crisis that was orchestrated by some hoodlums in the community on 30th April 2021 at about 3.3pm.
Giving the directive on Tuesday after interrogating and interviewing elders in the community at the Conference Room, State Headquarters, Ikeja, Odumosu directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State CID, Panti, DCP Adegoke Fayoade, to take over the case.
According to him, Fayoade will immediately take over the case and carry out a discreet investigation into the general crisis in the area particularly the murder and arson cases recorded during the crisis.
