The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 39 suspects and recovered 14 locally made pistols, a double-barrel gun, ammunition and other dangerous weapons in various operations across the state in August.
The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Tijani, disclosed this on Thursday at a news conference at the command headquarters in Ikeja.
Tijani said the arrests and recoveries were made through intelligence-led operations, stop-and-search exercises, surveillance patrols and responses to credible information.
Other items recovered included vandalised iron materials and cables, a truck loaded with cartons of spaghetti, seven cutlasses, 16 knives, 13 bags of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, a Point-of-Sale machine, charms and a laptop.
The CP said 12 suspects, aged between 19 and 32, were arrested on Aug. 17 for allegedly vandalising the newly constructed Coastal Road, with vandalised iron materials recovered from them.
He also disclosed the arrest of a 28-year-old man accused of vandalising and stealing Closed-Circuit Television camera cables, iron materials and other infrastructure on the Third Mainland Bridge.
According to Tijani, the suspect confessed to selling the stolen materials to scavengers and scrap dealers for about N12,000 per kilogramme. Some copper wires were recovered from him, while efforts were ongoing to arrest his alleged accomplice and the scrap dealers receiving the materials.
In Aguda, a 22-year-old suspected robber was arrested during a stop-and-search operation, with a substance suspected to be Indian hemp, a locally made pistol and a cartridge recovered from him.
The suspect reportedly led police operatives to a hotel where his accomplice had lodged, leading to the recovery of a double-barrel gun from the room.
Tijani further disclosed the arrest of a 35-year-old suspected cultist, popularly known as “Shifon”, in Aguda, Surulere, where a locally made pistol was recovered from his residence.
Two other suspected cultists, aged 28 and 33, were arrested at a dumpsite in Isolo, with a locally made single-barrel pistol recovered from them.
The command also arrested a trailer driver after receiving information that a trailer loaded with goods was parked in front of a church in Egbeda while mini-trucks were allegedly evacuating some of the goods.
An Acura SUV allegedly used by one of the fleeing suspects was recovered, while cartons of spaghetti were found in the trailer. One of the suspects was subsequently arrested following an intelligence-led operation.
In Ijeshatedo, three suspected cultists, aged 33, 38 and 42, were arrested after police received a distress call about a gathering of about 50 people.
Tijani said intelligence indicated that the gathering involved suspected members of the Eiye Confraternity allegedly marking an annual celebration and initiating new members. Two cutlasses and a battle axe were recovered.
The police also arrested two suspected armed robbers, aged 19 and 25, following information that they were in possession of firearms and using them to rob residents. Two locally made pistols were recovered from the suspects.
The CP said the operations were part of the command’s sustained efforts to mop up illegal firearms and other dangerous weapons across Lagos.
He commended police officers for their professionalism and dedication, while appreciating residents, community leaders, government agencies and other stakeholders for providing timely and credible information.