The police in Lagos yesterday paraded two officials of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) for alleged unlawful possession of firearms, radio devices, and other prohibited accouterments.
The suspects, Adekoya Adeniyi, 40 and Elliot Oluwaseyi, 44, were arrested on July 28 after the command received complaints that Adeniyi obtained money under false pretenses.
According to Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal, detectives from the Human Right desk went to Adeniyi’s house and during a search, three firearms were discovered.
Lagos CP Edgal
Edgal said the police also found radio devices, which he suspected were being used to intercept police coded messages.
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“During interrogation, the suspect confessed that the items recovered from his house were given to him by Elliot Oluwaseyi, 44, who was also arrested.
“I am disappointed in them. How did they get the four radio and the police belt? Who programmed the radio for them? Where did they get the firearms with them? All vigilante groups and private individuals were directed by the Inspector-General of Police to return firearms in their possession. Why do they still have them? What were they doing with handcuffs? The suspects will definitely have their day in court,” said Edgal.”
Oluwaseyi said: “Many people know me because I work for a lot of communities. I did not procure these uniforms myself. We got them from our organization, VGN. This is our mode of dressing. We bought these shirts at Police College when we went for training in 2015.
“That was when we bought everything. The head of our organization is aware of this case; he is working on it already. I have never used these arms for crime or to kill anyone before.
“We are just using them for security purposes because of the environment we live in. Terrible things happen in Ikorodu every day. Many people know me. The community recognizes me. I work with them. I am not the owner of these charms, I am just into security.”
Adeniyi said he was unaware that it was a crime to collect money from people and issue receipts, claiming that he was a surveyor and land speculator. He admitted to owning the receipt and the firearms.
The police also arrested one Bisiriyu Razak, a Community Development Association (CDA) Secretary in Ikorodu, said to have contracted the services of the VGN operatives.
Rasak, who was also paraded, said: “I have been living in that community since 1983. We employed the services of the VGN and they gave us two individuals to work with us in our community. We pay them N20, 000 monthly. We told them we could not afford to give them guns but we gave them whistles, cutlasses, and phones.
“I was arrested because of the faulty gun I had in my possession. The gun was recovered from armed robbers by the community over 20 years ago. I got the gun when the former chairman died. His children gave everything in his possession, which belonged to the community to me. I do not know anything about this case. I am not connected to it at all.”
