One of the 62 miscreants and hoodlums arrested, weekend, by operatives of Lagos State Task Force at Oshodi, Lagos, 35-year-old Gani Yusuf, said he paid N100 everyday to their ring leader before he could be given a little space to sleep under the Oshodi bridge.
The miscreants and hoodlums were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force during a night raid around Oshodi and its environs.
Another arrested suspect, Gbenga Ololade, 38, who claimed he came from Ibadan and has been sleeping under Oshodi bridge for three years, said he was initiated into a cult with a particular tattoo on his face by their group leader under the bridge.
Chairman of the task force, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, confirmed that many of those arrested have different tattoos on their arms, indicating they belong to a particular cult.
He added that the mid-night raid was part of ongoing efforts aimed at flushing out miscreants and other criminal elements out of Oshodi and the state at large.
CSP Egbeyemi, who confirmed that no weapon was found on the 62 suspects, added that there were strong indications that they were part of the criminals attacking motorists on Oshodi bridge during peak hours.
The raid
According to Egbeyemi, “we got to the area as early as 2a.m. It was an eye-sore to have found these miscreants and hoodlums under the bridge at Oshodi at such odd hours, walking aimlessly while some were also caught smoking Indian hemp popularly called Marijuana.
“Many of these arrested miscreants have different tattoos on their arms, indicating they belong to a particular sect or cult. While many are chain smokers, others robbed residents and pedestrians of their valuables such as phones, wallets and jewelleries in the early morning and late night.”
He added that the suspects had been screened while the under-age ones were referred to juvenile homes for rehabilitation, adding that most of these ‘young miscreants’ that are between 12 to 17 years are products of broken homes.
Egbeyemi pointed out that after the completion of all the ongoing projects by the state government in Lagos State, especially around Oshodi axis, there would no longer be any hideout for criminals to use in unleashing terror on innocent members of the public again.
Vanguard