The Lagos State Task Force at the weekend nabbed 62 miscreants in the Oshodi area of the metropolis.
The hoodlums were arrested during raids on hideouts and dark sports.
Chairman of the agency, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, disclosed that the mid-night operation was part of ongoing efforts aimed at flushing out miscreants and other criminal elements from Oshodi and the state at large.
The chairman disclosed further that the agency acted on the directives of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, who had earlier expressed concerns over the spate of criminal activities in some parts of the state, especially around Oshodi and other identified areas such as Mushin, Fadeyi, Agege, Apapa, Lagos Island, Obalende, Oyingbo and Dopemu, among others.
Egbeyemi said that even though no weapon was found on the suspects, but there were strong indications that they were among the criminals who had been terrorizing the entire area particularly those attacking motorists on the Oshodi bridge during peak hours.
“We got to the area as early as 2 am, it was an eye-sore to have found the miscreants under the bridge at Oshodi in such odd hours walking aimlessly while some were also caught smoking Indian hemp, popularly called marijuana.
“Yes, many of the miscreants have different tattoos on their hands, indicating that they belong to a particular cult.
They were smoking Indian hemp and we also received information that they robbed residents and pedestrians of their valuables such as phones, wallets, and jewelry in the early hours of the morning and late at night,” he said.
Egbeyemi added that the hoodlums have been screened and the underaged were referred to the juvenile homes for rehabilitation, noting that preliminary investigation has shown that most of the suspects between 12 and 17 years were products of broken homes.
Egbeyemi hinted that, after the all on-going projects by the state government around Oshodi, there would no longer be any hideouts for criminals to unleash terror on innocent members of the public.
He reaffirmed that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was committed to protecting life and property in order to attract more investors and make life easier for residents.
While appealing to parents to always consider their children as the ‘receiving end’ in family disputes, he confirmed that all the suspects have been charged to court on the directive of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.
