Police beam searchlight on late night food vendors

The Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police has beamed its searchlight on areas where food vendors operate late in the night across the state as it continues raiding black spots.

The move, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, told a news conference on Monday in Ikeja was to rid the state of criminals.

“Those selling noodles by 1 a.m. should stop it because we are going to sustain the raid of black spots in Lagos.

“We are not raiding noodles joints because we don’t want them in business but because they are part of robbery gangs,’’ he said while disclosing the command’s activities in the last two months.

He explained that investigation had revealed that suspected armed robbers go to them to collect weapons while going for operation and return the same to them afterwards.

The commissioner frowned at some persons that usually took the laws into their hands, saying that the command would no longer tolerate such.

He warned motorcyclists against operating on routes where they were restricted and traders against selling on the roads.

“We will arrest motorcyclists and their passengers on restricted roads and hawkers selling in gridlocks.

“Some of these hawkers have guns and usually attack motorists, robbing them of their valuables,’’ he said.

Owoseni disclosed said that the command had arrested 101 persons suspected to be involved in various violent crimes in the last two months.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those arrested included suspected armed robbers, kidnappers, cultists, fraudsters and car snatchers among others.

He said that within the period, 10 suspected armed robbers were killed during exchange of gun fire with the police.

The police boss said that within the period, the command received 78 distress calls from members of the public with 67 of them coming from victims of robbery attacks.

“Our response was swift but the robbers succeeded in 11 of such operations,’’ he said.

Owoseni said that 60 assorted guns and 347 different calibres of ammunition were also recovered from the suspects.

He said that 36 cars were recovered, with eight of them recovered in Aba in Abia.

Owoseni attributed the command’s success to the cooperation by members of the public, especially the media.

He called on those with unregistered arms to submit them to the police immediately, warning that anyone caught with illegal weapon would be prosecuted.

“Members of the public should join the police to enforce laws. The command is ready to put a stop to any act of lawlessness in Lagos State.’’

On the kidnap of the Sun Newspaper’s Deputy Managing Director’s wife, Mrs Toyin Nwosu on Monday, Owoseni said the command was working to rescue her and arrest the suspects.