BY EVELYN USMAN

Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG,  in-charge of Zone 2, Onikan,  comprising Lagos and Ogun states Police Commands, Mr  Mamman Tsafe  yesterday, disclosed that a total of 65, 318 suspects were arrested for various offences by the commands in year 2013.

Briefing newsmen on  the zone’s achievement in 2013, Tsafe also disclosed that 76 kidnappers including 280 suspected cult members were arrested in various locations within both states.

A breakdown of the arrests  showed that out of 65,318 suspects, 790 were arrested for alleged armed robbery.

File …suspected armed robbers and their weapons

Speaking through  the zonal Public Relations Officer, Lewi Suleima, a Superintendent of Police, he said  568  different cache of arms and  5399 live ammunitions were also recovered  during raids of hoodlums hideouts during the period under review.

He said  503 vehicles were snatched in different areas  within both states last year, out of which over  a hundred were recovered from hoodlums and handed over to their owners.

Also, a s total of  158 rape cases according to him,  were recorded and at the completion of investigation, 101 suspects were charged to court while 57 persons were still awaiting the Directorate of Public Prosecution’s, advice.

He was quick to add that the success did not come easy , as the commands  recorded  casualties during encounters with men of the under world but assured that it would not deter his men from carrying out their constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property of the citizens.

Attributing the success to what he described as trust built over the years between the Police and members of the public, Tsafe therefore, called for more supports, expressing optimism that the zone would not only sustain the tempo in 2014 but would  improve its crime prevention strategies with a  view to delivering better service to members of the public.