A deserter police sergeant who was transferred out of Lagos but failed to report at his new duty post has been arrested by the police in Lagos for robbery and abduction.

Twenty-nine other suspected criminals, including cultists, traffic robbers, armed robbers and impersonators were also within the last one week arrested by the police in Lagos.

The arrested suspects were on Thursday paraded before newsmen at the state police command headquarters by the image maker in charge of the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin.

Hundeyin told newsmen that eleven (11) of the suspects were traffic robbers, seventeen (17) were cultists, two were armed robbers, while the other two were impersonators.

The police image maker said that the deserter policeman allegedly belongs to a gang, which uses police uniforms to kidnap some young men, driving expensive vehicles and tagging them as Yahoo Boys to extort or rob them at gunpoint.

SP Hundeyin stated that they were arrested at Oshodi area while trying to arrest a woman for an alleged traffic offence acting as Lagos State Traffic Management Authority ( LASTMA ) officials.

The police sergeant and two others are currently being interrogated at the State Command Headquarters in many abduction and robbery incidents.

The gang reportedly drove around Lagos in a Toyota Highlander SUV and posed as policemen on a routine patrol and pick unsuspecting drivers, accusing them of committing different offences.

Members of the gang were reportedly arrested after they allegedly arrested a female driver and threatened to take her to the office of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) in Oshodi, where they claimed that her vehicle would be impounded and auctioned.

It was during the negotiation on how much the woman would pay the detectives, who had been on the trail of syndicate stormed the scene and apprehended two of the suspects, while two others took to their heels.

Hundeyin said “the syndicate could threaten to take their victims to any security formation. It could be the EFCC, LATSMA, Police or any paramilitary organization, pending the offence they alleged that their unsuspecting victims committed”.

According to the police spokesperson, the cult members were arrested in Badagry, Isolo and Ikorodu and added that three of the notorious cultists terrorising Ikorodu, led by a cultist, popularly known as ’70’ had been arrested.

The police image maker said, “We advise parents, school managements, religious organisations ,and community leaders to step up in the talks to their children to channel their energies towards better things and not cultism.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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