LAGOS, Nigeria – A police sergeant who deserted his duty post after being transferred out of Lagos, along with 29 other suspects, has been arrested in Lagos, for alleged involvement in robbery and abduction.
The arrested suspects were paraded before journalists at the state police command headquarters on Thursday, June 22, 2023.
The police spokesperson in charge of the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, informed the press that among the arrested individuals, 11 were traffic robbers, 17 were involved in cult activities, two were armed robbers, and two were impersonators.
According to Hundeyin, the deserter police sergeant was allegedly part of a gang that used police uniforms to kidnap young men driving expensive vehicles, labeling them as Yahoo Boys (internet fraudsters), and extorting or robbing them at gunpoint.
The gang was also involved in impersonating officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA.
The gang members were apprehended in the Oshodi area during an attempted arrest of a female driver for an alleged traffic offense.
The gang was posing as LASTMA officials and threatened to impound and auction the woman’s vehicle.
During negotiations with the woman, detectives who had been tracking the syndicate intervened and arrested two members of the gang, while two others managed to escape.
The gang reportedly used a Toyota Highlander SUV to patrol Lagos, impersonating police officers and targeting unsuspecting drivers by accusing them of various offenses.
Hundeyin noted that the gang could threaten to take their victims to any security establishment, such as the EFCC, LASTMA, Police, or other paramilitary organizations, depending on the offenses they claimed their victims had committed.
Additionally, Hundeyin mentioned that the arrested cult members were apprehended in Badagry, Isolo, and Ikorodu. Among those arrested were three notorious cultists terrorizing Ikorodu, including their leader, known as ‘70’.
Hundeyin called on parents, school management, religious organizations, and community leaders to intensify their efforts in advising young people to channel their energies towards positive endeavors and to refrain from engaging in cultism.
