THE new Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos State Command, Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, said more than 50 suspected cultists were facing prosecution in the state.
Jimoh stated this on Tuesday, February 18, while briefing journalists at the command headquarters, in Ikeja.
He said the command under his watch would address all forms of crimes and criminalities in the state.
“We, therefore, call on parents and guardians to prevail on their children and wards to desist from cult-related activities or face the full wrath of the law as the command will stop at nothing to rid the state of all acts of cultism,” Jimoh said.
He said the command would adopt and implement new crime prevention, control, and management strategies to prevent all forms of crime, especially violent crimes.
“The command will be more proactive in crime fighting and prevention to detect, act and deal according to the laws with early warning signals of crimes and other threats that can snowball into disturbances of public peace and public safety, or break down of law and order appropriately,” Jimoh stressed.
He promised to foster communication, discussions and collaboration between the police and the public.
“The people of the state will have unhindered opportunity to interact with the police freely at all levels to strengthen the trust, accountability, and mutual respect on both sides.
“Human rights abuses will not be tolerated no matter how minor it may be. Our approach to policing will be firmly rooted in the dictates of international best practices in policing. At the same time, professionalism, respect for human rights, and human dignity of every Lagosian will be religiously observed,” he said.
The CP, while urging the people of the state to respect the police officers and be law-abiding, promised to uphold zero-tolerance against corruption and all forms of unethical practices among his officers.
In curbing the menace of cultism in the state, he said the command would sustain its onslaught on the practice, urging criminally-minded persons to beware.
“They are hereby strongly warned and advised to repent, abandon the crimes, or leave Lagos State.
“The state will be too hot henceforth for the men of the underworld, and it will be a no-go area for criminals and their cohorts,” Jimoh added.
The ICIR reports that Lagos State is known for all forms of crimes, such as traffic robbery, robbery, cultism, violent crimes around identified black spots, and other crimes.
In an investigative report published in June last year, The ICIR spotlighted how the state and Abuja became hotbeds for crimes.