The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Adegoke Fayoade, said on Tuesday that the command had arrested no fewer than 131 suspected armed robbers within the last five months.

Mr Fayoade disclosed this when he received the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Lagos, Olatoye Durosimi, who was on a working visit to the command’s headquarters.

He said 46 robbery operations were foiled, while 142 suspected cultists were arrested within the period under review.

The CP also disclosed that the police apprehended 28 suspected kidnappers and recorded 50 murder cases, with 67 suspects arrested.

Mr Fayoade further disclosed that 38 traffic robbery suspects were arrested and charged to court, while 63 arms and 90 ammunitions were recovered from the suspects within the same period.

He said 212 vehicles, including 7,002 motorcycles, were impounded for traffic law violations and 3,793 other vehicles for plying BRT lanes.

The commissioner commended the command’s officers and men for their relentless efforts to secure the state but noted that policing in the ever-growing state had been challenging.

He said that, given the growth and the number of people coming to the state daily, more personnel needed to be deployed there.

“It is important and necessary to point out that the state is in dire need of more policemen and more divisional police headquarters to meet the UN standard and contend with the geometric increase in Lagos population.

“The challenge of policing this ever-growing city has been considerable.

“The daily influx of people seeking opportunities in Lagos continues to give us reasons to be pragmatic, reinvigorate and adapt our security architecture to effectively ensure the safety and security of residents of Lagos,” he said.

In his remarks, the AIG Zone 2 said the state’s security was the business of all, stressing that more men would be deployed from the newly recruited personnel.

Mr Durosimi said the zonal command had mobilised Ogun and Lagos commands to provide adequate security on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

He said the Oyo command was also joining the two commands for adequate security at the Lagos-Ibadan axis.

The AIG also assured adequate security at the waterways of the two states, saying that the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, had approved the deployment of more patrol boats for the marine police.

He urged the officers and men to do their best whenever they were on duty, saying, “The police job is a contract with God.”

(NAN)