CITY NEWS Police arrest 7 suspects over new kidnappers’ den

The police yesterday arrested seven suspects in connection with the new kidnappers’ den discovered in Ijaiye area of Lagos.

A highway sweeper, who works with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), simply identified as Mrs. Aduke, had raised alarm and notified the police following a cry for help from a female voice she heard coming from a canal across the LagosAbeokuta expressway two days ago.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, said detectives have been deployed with more sniffer dogs and other security gadgets to ascertain more facts concerning the incident.

“For now, about seven persons, who are suspected to be using those buildings as base for rituals, have been arrested. We will continue to give it a touch of professionalism and scientific approach by deploying sniffer dogs that can also penetrate into the canal to see whether we can get materials to be of evidential value,” Owoseni said.

Our reporters, who were at the scene of the incident yesterday, noticed heavy presence of policemen, some of whom were combing the surrounding neighbourhoods and bushes for more suspects and evidence-materials.

At about 10:00am some young men were seen barricading the express road, which resulted into heavy traffic.

However, fracas ensued between the security personnel stationed at the scene and the youths when they refused appeal from the policemen to dismantle barricade on the road.

Shortly afterwards, security men were seen teargasing the group. The youths were seen throwing stones at the security men. One of the policemen was injured in the process as a thrown pebble broke his nose.

One of the youth, Akanbi Olaoluwa who spoke to Daily Trust lamented how the policemen have been molesting innocent people since Tuesday adding that some people were beaten by the police for offence they knew nothing about.

“People are being arrested indiscriminately. You can see, many of the shop owners have refused to open for business because they are afraid of the consequences of what happened on Tuesday. We are not happy about how the police is handling the matter,” he said.

Items recovered from the culvert include clothes, underwears, identity cards and wigs of people suspected to have been victims were seen at an abandoned house near the canal.

The house was allegedly used as a hideout by the suspects.

Owoseni further said investigation was underway.

He assured residents that perpetrators would be brought to justice in due course. that