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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Crime & Justice

Lagos taskforce arrests 46 suspects

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit arrested 46 suspects during a cleanup operation across Lagos Island, Victoria Island, and Lekki.
  • The operation targeted street urchins, miscreants, drug addicts, illegal motorcyclists, and street traders.
  • Recovered items included suspected illicit substances and a locally fabricated gun, with authorities vowing to sustain operations to ensure public safety.

Lagos State's environmental task force has apprehended 46 individuals during a large-scale cleanup operation targeting criminal elements across key areas of the metropolis. The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, widely known as the Taskforce, conducted the operation on Friday.

According to the agency's spokesperson, Mr Abdulraheem Gbadeyan, the operation commenced at 9 a.m. and spanned multiple locations including Muri-Okunola Park, Obalende Underbridge, and areas along Victoria Island and the Lekki axis. The sweep aimed to rid the state of street urchins, miscreants, drug addicts, illegal commercial motorcyclists, street traders, and touts.

The operation led to the arrest of 46 suspects, while exhibits recovered included substances suspected to be Indian hemp, Colorado and cannabis.

— Mr Abdulraheem GbadeyanConfirming the results of the cleanup operation.

During the operation, authorities recovered substances suspected to be Indian hemp, Colorado, and cannabis, along with a cutlass and a locally fabricated dane gun. Gbadeyan confirmed that normalcy has been restored in the affected areas. Taskforce Chairman, CSP Adetayo Akerele, reiterated the agency's commitment to eradicating criminal activities and ensuring public safety and order through sustained enforcement.

The arrested suspects are slated for prosecution under relevant Lagos State laws, including the Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017, and the Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018. The Taskforce emphasized its resolve to deny criminals any operational space within the state.

The agency’s resolve to deny criminal elements any breathing space in Lagos State.

— CSP Adetayo AkereleReaffirming the Taskforce's commitment to combating crime.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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