WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY LETTER FOR OCT. 1 PROTEST; LAWS ON OKADA ARE STILL IN FORCE – CP ODUMOSU
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu (m) addressing the Pressmen at the command.
On the sidelines of the press briefing held at the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja on Thursday, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, CP Hakeem Odumosu addressed current issues of interest to the entire citizenry in Lagos.
This includes efforts at rescuing the abducted AVM Sikiru Oladimeji Smith (rtd), Oct. 1 protests, and okada operations in Lagos.
On planned October 1st protests, CP Odumosu said: ‘Every Nigerian has the right to express his/herself but it must be within the ambit of the law. As at now, we have not received any letter from any group that they want to protest. I always advise that those who want to protest are also entitled to security if they are law-abiding citizens. But security agencies should be carried along so that we can give them security so that they too will not be victims of miscreants. Our operatives are out, where there is any infraction, the law will take its course.’
On the rescue operation for AVM Oladimeji Smith (rtd), Trek Africa Newspaper quotes the indefatigable Lagos CP, ‘Investigation is on. There is some information that you don’t reveal because even those who have him in custody will monitor this. But I assure every member of the public that every stone is been turned to ensure that we get the victim.
It is important that you let 1000 miscreants escape than to let the life of one victim be lost. That is what we are working on.’
He added that crime is crime and does not have tribe or nationality and all are being given scientific investigation. ‘If you go to the penal code, it says ‘whosoever’, the criminal code says ‘anybody’, it did not say if you belong to this tribe. The waterways are being fortified, especially within Ajah, Epe, and Ikorodu axis and from neighboring Ogun and Ondo states. We have a case of the kidnap of a Chinese, we have arrested the culprits and recovered the things they got.
The man that masterminded it was a staff. We are doing scientific investigation. We don’t want to charge anyone to court and then, they will be discharged and acquitted. So we will screen and thoroughly investigate.’
On the traffic activities of okada riders in Lagos, CP Odumosu stated: ‘We have started general clampdown. It is not only the restricted areas alone. In other places too, okada is being used to commit crime.
Okada is not supposed to carry more than the rider and the passenger but what we see is 3, 4 or 5. It is an offence for the okada rider to ride on the street without being registered. It is an offence for the rider and passenger not to wear helmet. Okada is not supposed to carry pregnant women, load, and underage schoolchildren. Some even move about in the night without headlights. All these things are under the laws of Lagos state guiding okada. We shall continue to enforce these laws. Nobody is above the law.
