TO believe the police or not is one decision residents of Festac Town, Lagos, will have to make.
Following alleged robberies by a gang residents describe as the notorious ‘One Million Boys’, the police say they have made arrests and have also declared the area a no-go premises for criminals.
Dan Okoro is Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP), Command Headquarters, Festac, Lagos. He said: “My men and I have been on the trail of the robbers. We have not just arrested two of them, but have also captured their leader, who was hibernating in Okoko. He is in our cell. But I won’t make it a public thing, yet until I have briefed the CCP. We also recovered some guns and ammunition.”
On whether the community is under-policed, Okoro said: “I don’t think so. Criminals may run, but they can’t hide in Festac, unless they choose not to operate. In fact, Festac remains a no-go area for them. I have my men on ground, and we act at the slightest information. All we need is the corporation of residents. We are out to make the community crime free. So, it is clear, Festac is not under-policed.”
But speaking on a recent attack on 512 ‘I’ Close, Mr. James, a resident, said the police always arrive when the robbers have done their worst and fled, accusing them of not doing enough to protect the people.
“The police patrol every night, but it is certain that they cannot cover the nooks and crannies of the community; they cannot be everywhere at the same time. If the police for instance are in 501, the thieves may be somewhere else, operating without their knowledge. Again, the police only patrol the main roads and not the Closes.”
Concerns about the police’s inability to provide adequate security has moved residents to seek alternatives, as James put it: “We are thinking of organising a special security squad, probably the OPC, because they are handy.”
Contrary to assurances by ASP Okoro, James said the community is under-policed. “It is a known fact that the police lack personnel to handle the situation because the population of the community is expanding daily.”
Mr. John Akindele, Chairman of ‘F’ Close said: “The armed robbers came on April 30 and on May 14 in 512, 511 and G Close. They repeated their visit two weeks later. This time, two of them were caught, beaten and handed over to the police.”
He said: “These robbers are so young. When we interrogated them, they said that they are part of the ‘One Million Boys’ gang from Ajegunle, and that they have chosen to operate in Festac because the Kaka-led OPC group made things difficult for them in Ajegunle, hence they migrated to Festac. He also said that they usually meet at a popular hotel in 41 Road, Festac, to strategise.”
Akindele revealed that Mr. Leo Njoku, Chairman of 401 Road Residents’ Association, summoned a meeting of all the chairmen of Closes to deliberate on how best to curtail the activities of the robbers.
Recalling similar incident in 1983, Akindele said: “The boys operated with impunity, breaking doors and taking their time to search for money and other valuables. They made people with HBP to stay awake all night or have to depend on drugs to sleep. They made us feel Festac is under-policed. We are calling on the DPO and the Area Commandant to look into this and checkmate crime in the community.”
| Next > |
|---|