By VICTOR EBIMOMI
Lagos State Police Command’s determination to rid the state of criminals, especially armed robbers, may not be an easy task, unless advanced strategies are quickly adopted. Reason: some criminals have devised a heartless way of forcing their victims into submission and in a manner that hardly raises suspicion.
Instead of guns, they now use short cutlasses, the type popularly called “UTC” in Lagos.
And when they attack their victims, they usually go for the wrists.
The criminals operate mostly in Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area.
Sunday Sun investigation revealed that one of their favourite areas of operations is around Tolu area of the council and the most notorious axis is Kumuyi Street and its environs.
According to our source, the reason for the concentration of their nefarious activities, which occurs mostly at night in that axis, is because of a very busy road known as Amodu Tijani, through which people link up Apapa with commercial boats.
Sunday Sun learnt that the criminals always lurk in dark corners from where they suddenly pounce on their victims before they dispossess them of their valuables.
Our source informed that in most cases, if they are not satisfied with the victim’s possession, they give him/her a deep cut on the wrist, perhaps, as warning that he/she should work harder.
Some residents in the area told Sunday Sun that the criminals have become more than a pain in the neck for pedestrians and inhabitants of the area.
“Those boys are really terrorizing us in this area and it seems the police are helpless. They have guns, but these days they use cutlasses and they always like to cut their victims’ hands,” said a resident who claimed she knows some of the victims.
Another resident added that the criminals are taking advantage of the thriving night life in the area to rove around until they are ready to begin operation.
“The night life in this area is almost round the clock and you can hardly know who is who,” the resident said.
It was gathered that a victim was terribly beaten and given machete cuts because he had nothing that interested the criminals when he was accosted.
Sunday Sun investigation revealed that there are uncountable joints in the area where local gin, otherwise known as paraga, is sold and those are veritable hide-outs for the criminally minded.
Also, there are several hotels where young jobless youths while away time with prostitutes, smoking all sorts of hard drugs, particularly marijuana.
It was gathered that police from the nearby Tolu Police Division occasionally raid the black spots to dislodge the bad boys, but they return as soon as the police leave the scene.
“The police sometimes raid the place, but they come back shortly after they leave. Some of them come from outside the council. They just come around, stay in the hotels with prostitutes till late night. In fact, it is very easy to identify them, because they smoke Indian hemp openly in public places,” a resident who preferred anonymity said.
A police source at Tolu Police Division confirmed that the area is a notorious place and some teams from the station have been going there constantly to dislodge the criminals.
“Yes, there are criminals there. Our patrol teams sometimes go there to raid them,” the source said..
Sunday Sun learnt that another convergence point for the criminals is the popular Maracana Field around Tolu School complex.
The place is a dangerous spot at night, as the bad boys regroup there for their nefarious acts.
It was gathered that several times, police from nearby Tolu Division would storm the place, but the hoodlums return as soon as the security agents leave and people living near the field had severally fallen victims to the criminals.
Source: Sunday Sun
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