The police command in Lagos state says it arrested 32 suspects, including 17 cultists, 11 traffic robbers, two armed robbers and two impersonators, in one week.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, gave the figures on Thursday while parading the suspects before newsmen at the police command’s headquarters, Ikeja.
Mr Hundeyin said that two of the suspects belonged to a gang using police uniforms to kidnap young men driving flashing cars and libelling them ‘yahoo boys’.
He said that the two suspects were arrested at Oshodi while acting as traffic managers and attempting to arrest a woman for alleged traffic offence.
The image maker said that the woman raised an alarm that led to their arrest while their accomplices escaped.
Mr Hundeyin said that the command had been on the trail of the suspects after a viral video called for attention of the police and members of the public to their criminal activities.
He praised the man who sent out the viral video, urging other members of the public to emulate him.
The three minutes and 37 seconds viral video showed a man, who claimed to be a lawyer, calling the attention of the police and members of the public to a gang’s activities.
In the video, the man said that one of his clients fell victim to the gang members, who impersonated the police and labelled the client a yahoo boy.
In the said video, the man said that the gang members took his client into their car and drove him around Lagos State for six hours without going to any police station.
“At the end of the day, they collected his phones and searched and found N2.5 million in his account.
They forced him at gunpoint to call a bureau de change to which he transferred the money and the bureau de change, in turn, transferred the dollar equivalent to their contact account and left him with only N10, 000.
“I want to use this medium to inform the police that there are some people who are using police uniforms to kidnap young people and fleece them,” the man said in the video.
According to Mr Hundeyin, the 17 cultists were arrested at Ikorodu and Badagry.
He gave the assurance that the command would continue to go against criminals.
Mr Hundeyin said that the 11 traffic robbers were apprehended in different areas with heavy vehicular traffic.
He assured Lagos residents of adequate security and urged them to give timely information that would help the police to tackle criminals.