•CP Fatai Owoseni
- Denies alleged police partisanship in Mile 12 clash
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni yesterday said the police was on the trail of other culprits in the kidnap of three girls from Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary (BMJS) Ikorodu.
Owoseni stated this while addressing reporters at the police command in Ikeja.
Oluwatimilehin Olusa, Tofunmi Popoolaniyan and Deborah Akinayo were rescued on Sundaymorning at Igbo-Okuta Bridge, after spending six days in the Adamo creeks with their kidnappers.
Owoseni who explained why the police shielded the girls from the public, assured that the operation were far from being concluded.
According to Owoseni, the command has built on a lot of information, assuring that all those who took part in the abduction as well as their accomplices will be apprehended and brought to justice.
The commissioner dismissed fears that Ikorodu has turned to a safe haven for kidnappers.
“Our greatest challenge was in rescuing the girls unhurt, and not in combating the criminals. We were being cautious because we knew that facing the kidnappers headlong could lead to their harming the girls.
“Rescuing the girls is one leg of the operation. Work has just begun now because we are on the trail of the other culprits. We have built on a whole lot of information and our job is not completed until all those involved are rounded off, as well as their aiders,” he said.
Meanwhile, the commissioner took a swipe at those accusing the police of taking sides in the Mile 12, Agiliti crisis, describing the allegation as cheap blackmail.
Owoseni who insisted that he led the operation and not the Area Commander nor the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ketu as alleged, insisted that his men dis their job devoid of sentiments.
He also pecked the figures of suspects arrested at 174, adding that investigations were ongoing to ascertain their culpability.
“Mile 12 is relatively calm and the process of healing has commenced in terms of dialogue. 174 suspects were arrested and at the moment investigations and auditing are ongoing.
“It was miscreants that were involved in that fight and not normal Yorubas or Hausas. Even when the fight was on, some Hausas hid Yoruba children in their shops, likewise some Yorubas hid Hausa people in their homes.
“All those trying to play on ethnic or religious sentiments are using cheap blackmail. It is mere fabrication that police or security agencies took sides in that fight. We did our job there devoid of sentiments,” he said.
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