- A total of 8 suspects were initially arrested by the Police
- The command says it would not succumb to social media blackmail
Four accused were arraigned by the Lagos State Police Command yesterday in the Ejigbo Magistrate Court on charges of drug abuse and illegal assembly.
In a statement released yesterday, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the state’s police public relations officer, said that the arrest came about as a result of several complaints from Harmony Estate, Aboru, Lagos, residents regarding the behavior of a few young males.
According to Hundeyin, the complainants also expressed concern about the fact that these individuals had a practice of gathering outside the estate’s entrance early in the morning and late at night to gamble, sell, and smoke pot.
He listed other allegations to include harassing and hindering free movement of residents as well as extorting passers-by.
Following the complaints, the Lagos police spokesman said operatives of the Command drawn from Area P, Alagbado carried out a thorough surveillance and subsequently stormed the area at about 0800 hours on Thursday, February 29, 2024, to arrest the miscreants.
“A total of eight suspects were arrested with substances, suspected to be hard drugs, resulting in the blockage of road by other miscreants who demanded the release of their cohorts before the Police could leave the vicinity.
“The miscreants equally assaulted the officers, who, however, called for and received reinforcement, enabling them to successfully move the suspects and exhibits to the station,” the statement said.
Hundeyin added that four out of the eight arrested persons were subsequently freed after proven innocent from further investigations at the station.
“The remaining four persons, Afolabi Joshua ‘m’ aged 24, Isaiah Omogbolahan ‘m’ aged 25, Oluwadamilare Kayode ‘m’ aged 38 and Friday Anamaliu ‘m’ aged 40, were arraigned on March 1, 2024 at Ejigbo Magistrate Court and remanded by the court in prison custody till March 25, 2024,” the statement added.
He debunked the news making the rounds that the suspects were arrested for playing Ludo game as entirely false, noting that the narrative was brought up by some of the miscreants who managed to escape to divert attention from the real issues.
The statement also vowed that the Lagos States Police Command will not succumb to social media blackmail but continue to uphold its mandate to maintain law and order, and protect the lives and property of Lagosians.