Following the violence that erupted at the Isale-Eko
area of Lagos State on Saturday between members of the All Progressives Congress
(APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where about six people were
killed and many others injured, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police,
yesterday, gave two weeks ultimatum to owners of unlicensed firearms to
surrender their guns to the police.
The CP, Mr. Kayode Aderanti said that he would not
allow thuggery to pervade the state and vowed to speak with political leader
concerning their conducts and those of their supporters in the forthcoming 2015
election.
His words: The Isale-Eko situation, where law and
order has been restored, is what informed my decision in clamming down in proliferation
of small arms in the city. We should not encourage thuggery. There should be no
violence in the state. Politics shouldn’t be a matter of life and death!”
He said that he had observed within the two weeks of
his taking over the mantle of leadership in Lagos, that there was proliferation
of unlicensed small arms in the state. He noted that many carriers likely want
to use such guns to commit crime and intimidate innocent people.
He added: “I’ll give them two weeks to return those
illegal firearms to the police. If they do not comply, we’ll hunt them down. They
want to make life unbearable for innocent citizens, but we’ll treat them like
armed robbers. After two weeks, we’ll listen to no excuse. We want this state
to remain peaceful.”
Aderanti explained that the police have its modus
operandi on how to hunt those with illegal arms. He opined that if police did
not act them, such owners would brandish their arms at will, terrorizing others.
He re-enforced the Inspector General of Police (IGP),
order on the continual removal of roadblocks. He urged residents in Lagos to feel
free to call him and report anywhere they see roadblocks. He further revealed
that he has set up a Squad team, dedicated to monitoring roadblocks.
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