By Abdullahi Akogun
Lagos State Police Command today commenced demolition of illegal shanties within the Isawo Community in Ikorodu area of the state, where criminal activities is being perpetuated.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni, who led the team of a combined team of the State Marine Police, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), mobile policemen and the men from the anti-kidnapping squad in coordination with the local vigilante disclosed that 13 suspected kidnappers have already been arrested.
The exercise is coming on the heels of the recent killing of four police officers and an Army captain by suspected militants two weeks ago in the area.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, while condoling with the families and loved ones of the departed officers, had assured that every perpetrator directly or remotely linked to the dastardly act would be brought to justice in the shortest possible time.
Owoseni said that the Governor immediately ordered a joint operation to hunt down the perpetrators, adding that the operation was yielding positive results.
According to him “So far so good following the attack that occurred at Ishawo where we lost four of our policemen and army captain, we have deployed operatives in the water. What you have seen now is for us to appraise what we have been doing for the past one week.
“Arrests have been made and we are talking to them because the arrests that were made we believe that we get some evidential value from them, so they are talking to us, at least that makes us to know who we are looking for so that we won’t be just wild catching,”he added.
The Commissioner of Police who was joined on the inspection of the joint operation to the den of the militants in Isawo Creeks by the Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Mr. Tunji Disu, security agencies leaders said the visit was to appraise the work done so far and the next line of action.
“Earlier this morning, they were able to get to the proper camps of these criminal elements where they saw some of them cooking food who fled immediately they saw the combined team.
“The destruction of the camps are ongoing, that is why we are here and the officers that are handling the destruction of the camps, they are right inside the creeks now and at the end of the day, they would share the story as they finish that operations, but our movement here is just for you to see the terrain and see what the security operatives are facing with regards to policing this environment and that is why we are clamouring for the destruction of these shanties, Owoseni explained.
On the suspects arrested he said “we are interrogating the suspects and they are making useful statements for us and we are making progress and you can see that helicopter surveillance is also supporting all what we are doing but we want to assure members of the public around this axis that the government is ready, the security agents are ready to ensure that we put an end to the madness of these criminal elements”.
He noted that the Police have gathered necessary information on the perpetrators still on the run, assuring that one by one, they would be arrested and be made to face the full wrath of the law.