Adegoke Fayoade, the Commissioner of Police for Lagos State, has ordered a crackdown on phone thieves in the state.
The police boss vowed to penalize any divisional police officer whose jurisdiction included recording the latest robbery of phones snatched in broad daylight by miscreants.
This comes on the heels of a notice about an increasing security problem in Lagos State, where some miscreants take phones from unsuspecting passersby in broad daylight and then demand money before returning the phone to its owner.
Sometimes, as gathered, these miscreants would approach passersby while making a phone call, demanding it or an alternative of cash ranging from N5,000 to N20,000, depending on the type of phone.
According to reports, this illicit activity takes place in the Oshodi and Agege areas of the state.
In a viral video, a woman who warned Lagosians of the trend urged security officers to contain the threat before it escalated.
To that end, the Lagos State Police Command boss, in a meeting with Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, at the command headquarters in Ikeja, directed officers, particularly those in the identified areas, to redouble security architecture and enhance their neighborhoods with foot patrol within their Areas of Responsibility (AORs), to combat the emerging threat.
SP Benjamin Hudenyin, the command spokesman, provided highlights of the meeting, saying, “The CP received with concern reports that young men in certain parts of Lagos State seize passersby’s phones to extort them despite the sustained raids being carried out by officers and men of the Command.
“CP Fayoade warned that any officer in whose AOR such an incident occurs again would be severely sanctioned, assuring that the Command remains unrelenting in its resolve and determination to continue to stamp out and make the public space hot for criminal elements.
“The Lagos State Police Command uses this opportunity to commend everyone who brought this menace to the notice of relevant authorities and further encourages all Lagosians to continue to say something when they see something.
“Meanwhile, CP Fayoade has ordered the immediate prosecution of 303 suspects arrested over the weekend during raids across the state, after a careful screening process. The raids were carried out by area commanders, DPOs, and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS)”.
