Traffic robbers attack Lagos motorists in police presence – Newstrends
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Traffic robbers attack Lagos motorists in police presence

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Motorists have cried out over resurgent cases of traffic robberies in Lagos State as hoodlums reportedly attack commuters at night and in broad daylight.

It was gathered that on some busy highways such as Ojota-Ketu-Mile 12 axis manned by police, miscreants loitering around pounce on motorists held in traffic and break their windscreens in an attempt to rob them.

Investigation by Sunday PUNCH revealed that in some cases, the thugs forcefully demand money from drivers with a threat to attack them if they fail to accede to their demand.

Our correspondent, who passed through Ojota at 9am on Monday, witnessed moments a dark-complexioned young man in shorts and T-shirt waltzed into the side of a black Prado Jeep stuck in traffic gridlock around Freedom Park.

The fellow knocked on the front windscreen and vehemently asked the driver to give him money but the latter resisted. As the thug attempted to bring out a weapon, the driver, a middle-aged man, quickly handed a naira note to him. He fled into the lawn afterwards.

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Our correspondent observed that there was a cluster of policemen and their vans stationed some metres away from the spot where the incident happened.

A co-presenter of a TVC programme, Your View, Tope Mark-Odigie, also shared her encounter with two traffic robbers on Alapere Bridge, inward Ojota around 7pm last Friday.

Recounting her experience during the Monday edition of the programme, Mark-Odigie said one of the assailants shattered her windscreen as she struggled to evade the attack.

She stated that two days before the incident, a friend had told her of how he was robbed in traffic between Oworonshoki and Ogudu and his windscreen broken.

She recalled, “On Friday (November 12), I had an event on the Island. On my way back around 7.30pm, the attack took place on Alapere Bridge inward 7up. Because I am conscious of the fact they usually rob (in that area), I had been looking around and saw policemen stationed around the bridge. They always park (their patrol vans) there. They clustered around a young man on the floor; maybe they caught one of the robbers.

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“Barely two minutes afterwards, I was flanked by two men and they were hitting the windows. I swerved to one side and one of them ran away. I got to another lane and the other guy on my side kept hitting until he broke the glass. I kept on struggling in traffic because there wasn’t much space to manoeuvre.

“There was a trailer by my side; I kept manoeuvring until I was able to escape. I think other drivers were aware of what was going on and the little they could do was to make room for me to move. There were glass shards on my body.”

She and her co-presenters urged the state government to light up the road and other highways, especially those notorious for traffic robbery.

Another presenter, Mariam Longe, also lamented that she and her husband had been robbed along Apogbon Bridge on different occasions.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the command was addressing the menace by intensifying security across the state and raiding criminal hideouts.

He said, “Security has been beefed up in the area (Ojota) and other parts of the state. The Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has directed all the Area Commanders, DPOs, tactical teams and other field commanders to provide watertight security in every part of the state before, during and after the Christmas and beyond.”

“In compliance with the directive, the officers have increased the presence of policemen through proactive and visibility policing as well as raids of criminal hideouts.”

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Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos

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Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos

One Onyeka Ubaka has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for sexual assault and maltreatment of a 16-year-old girl in Lagos State.

He was convicted and sentenced by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday.

Justice Rahmon Oshodi convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the two amended charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government.

Ubaka was initially arraigned on January 12, 2024, and was initially charged with defilement through one-count information filed on October 26, 2023, to which he pleaded not guilty.

In the court proceedings, the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, presented a single witness, the prosecutrix, whose testimony proved particularly significant in establishing the case against the defendant. The prosecutrix who provided a testimony, identified the defendant as her boyfriend and disclosed that she was 16 years old in 2023 and that her relationship with the defendant began in her mother’s shop.

The victim testified to the court that the defendant had multiple instances of sexual intercourse with her, which resulted in pregnancy and childbirth.

“The defendant is the father of my child. He impregnated me, and the child is five months old.”

According to PUNCH, the victim, during cross-examination, gave testimony evidence that incriminate the defendant.

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In one instance, she disclosed that the defendant took her to a bar, gave her yogurt to drink, and after she drank it, she lost consciousness. She further disclosed that she woke up in a hotel room and realised that the defendant had non-consensual sex with her and told her to keep the incident a secret.

At the court proceeding on Tuesday, Justice Oshodi disclosed to the court that the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, had informed the court that the parties had entered a plea and sentence agreement dated and filed on November 25, 2024. The court then charged and convicted the defendant on the amended charge of indecent acts and sexual assault to which the defendant pleaded guilty.

Justice Ramon, in his judgment, stated that the prosecution had established beyond a reasonable doubt the charges brought against the defendant, and found the defendant guilty of indecent act and sexual assault.

“From the evidence presented by the prosecution, I am satisfied that the essential elements of indecent acts and sexual assault have been established. There is an abundance of evidence to support this conclusion. The defendant’s guilty plea further justifies his conviction for the offences contained in the amended information.

“Therefore, I find the defendant guilty and convict him under Sections 134 and 263 of the Criminal Law Supra”, he ruled.

When asked what he had to say, the defendant begged the court to temper justice with mercy.

“Temper justice with mercy so that I will take care of my responsibility,” he appealed.

It is gathered that the defendant’s father had paid the sum of N300,000 and had undertaken to sponsor the prosecutrix first degree and take full responsibility for the child until the child is eight years old.

The prosecution counsel in her final statement asked the court to convict the defendant according to the plea bargain.

“We ask that the convict be sentenced according to the plea bargain agreement starting from the day of remand, March 23, 2023, and this will pass a message to society that sexual offenders are not tolerated in our society.

“We also ask that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register”, Okeowo said.

Justice Oshodi then found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to four years imprisonment.

 

Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos

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Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers

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Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers

CSP Adetayo Akerele, Chairman of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, announced the arrest of 53 suspected criminals in Gowon Estate.

Akerele said this operation aimed to boost safety, security, and environmental decorum in the area.

“The agency apprehended drug peddlers, addicts; miscreants; street urchins; illegal street traders and people of shady business dealings.

“We found various illicit drugs and narcotics, including Indian hemp, codeine syrup, and colorado,” Akerele said.

The operation brings relief to residents of Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Egbeda, Idimu, and surrounding areas affected by these criminals.

“Residents have endured trauma and safety risks due to these unauthorized squatters.

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The taskforce is committed to safeguarding residents and ridding the metropolis of individuals preying on law-abiding citizens,” Akerele said.

The agency will monitor other criminal hideouts, blackspots, and abandoned properties.

“This vigilance aims to deter individuals with sinister motives.

“These arrests demonstrate our determination to maintain a safe environment.

“We will hold every individual involved in these illegal practices accountable,” Akerele said.

The 53 suspects will face charges for narcotics-related offenses.

Residents are urged to report suspicious activities through the “See Something, Say Something” initiative.

 

Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers

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Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada

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Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday returned 21 luxury vehicles worth over N1.8 billion to Canada after they were stolen and smuggled into Nigeria by a criminal syndicate.

Speaking to Newsman in Lagos, Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized the seriousness of the growing trade in stolen vehicles and its impact on Nigeria’s economy and security.

According to Adeniyi, Nigeria has become a significant hub for stolen vehicles in West Africa, with syndicates exploiting the country’s ports and borders to traffic vehicles from regions such as Europe, North America, and South America.

He highlighted data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicating that only 54% of stolen vehicles were recovered between 2013 and 2015, illustrating the scale of the problem.

“This trend undermines our legitimate automotive market, strains our security infrastructure, and damages Nigeria’s international reputation,” Adeniyi said.

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He further noted that the illegal trade affects President Tinubu’s economic reforms, which aim to position Nigeria as a trusted hub for international commerce.

To combat this challenge, Adeniyi disclosed that the NCS launched Operation Hot Wheels, a collaborative initiative involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Canadian authorities, and international law enforcement agencies. The operation focused on intelligence sharing, surveillance, and interdiction to disrupt vehicle trafficking networks.

Adeniyi further disclosed that the operation uncovered sophisticated smuggling techniques, including false cargo declarations and containerized shipments used to conceal stolen vehicles.

During one operation, officers intercepted a container at Onne Port in Rivers State declared to contain used vehicles and spare parts. A physical examination revealed three undeclared 2021 Toyota Highlanders, two of which were confirmed stolen from Canada.

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