Anifowose Samson
No fewer than three suspects have been arrested by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command for their alleged involvement in cultism and vandalism.
PUNCH Metro gathered from a statement on the RRS Facebook page on Tuesday that one of the suspects was arrested on suspicion of being a cult member in the Oshodi area of the state last Wednesday at about 10 pm.
The statement noted that the suspect, whose identity was not disclosed, also had a locally made pistol in his possession when arrested.
It read, “The operatives of Rapid Response Squad have arrested a suspected cultist with a locally made pistol in a commercial bus in Oshodi.
“The suspected cultist was arrested around 10:00 p.m. last Wednesday at the Toyota bus stop by the RRS operatives, who were acting on intelligence. Two live ammunition were also recovered with the gun.”
The statement noted that in another operation, two suspected vehicle vandals, Kazeem Oyebola and Olamilekan Babalola, were arrested while loading some vehicle tyres into a minibus at the Otedola Bridge area of the state.
It added that upon interception by a police patrol team, they claimed that they were contracted to transport the tyres to another location in the state. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that they had allegedly stolen the tyres from a mechanic’s workshop.
It continued, “The suspected vehicle vandals were arrested around 4:00 a.m. on Saturday while loading six Ford Escape tyres and rims as well as vehicle parts into a Suzuki minibus beside Otedola Bridge, Lagos.
The suspects, Kazeem Oyebola, 25 years old, and Olamilekan Babalola, 35 years old, disclosed that they were contracted to convey the six tyres and rims, as well as parts from the Otedola bridge to Agege.
“The suspects, along with two others, now at large, were loading the exhibits into the minibus with the registration number LSD 736 YK when policemen on patrol arrested them. Preliminary investigation revealed that the exhibits were removed from vehicles parked for repair at a mechanic workshop near Otedola Bridge.”
The RRS noted that when the workers at the mechanic workshop arrived, they were met with the RRS operatives, who assured them that the vandalised tyres had been recovered.
The police team noted that efforts were ongoing to arrest other fleeing suspects.
“Workers at the mechanic workshop, where the tyres and vehicle parts were removed, got to the park on Saturday morning looking for the stolen items.
“They were later met by RRS operatives investigating the case, who assured them that the items were recovered from vandals who invaded the workshop early in the morning.
“The RRS commander, CSP Shola Jejeloye, has assured the mechanics that the agency would arrest the two fleeing suspects. All suspects are assisting the police in their investigations,” the statement concluded.
