The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Idowu Owohunwa, says criminal elements have increased the rate of fabrication of replicas of foreign-made pistols, A-47 and other assault rifles in the state.
According to Owohunwa, this trend amid the rise in cultism activities poses a potent danger to security in the state.
The police boss said this at the unveiling of the state command Complaint Response Unit (CRU) by the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun on Wednesday.
He said land disputes, traffic robberies, proliferation of illegal firearms, and illicit drug abuse were other issues endangering security of residents of the state.
“We are also constantly confronted with the challenge of dissecting and dealing with the thin line between the civil and criminal dynamics of land disputes which are also prevalent in the state. Also of routine concern is the traffic gridlock and the attendant occasional traffic robberies which are compounded by ongoing road projects across the state including, in particular, the Lagos-Ibadan highway. The crime profile of the state is further accentuated by the prevalence of illegal firearms, illicit drug abuse and traffic robberies.
“Hardly does a day pass by without the ever-vigilant operatives of the command recovering weapons and illicit drugs of various descriptions at stop and search points, raids of black spots and other operational engagements; with all such recoveries linked to the perfection of crimes across the state. Most worrisome in all this is a noticeable trend that indicates an increasing local expertise in the fabrication of various types of firearms including replicas of foreign-made pistols, AK-47s and other rifles,” the Lagos CP said.
Owohunwa promised to continue to work with all stakeholderss in securing the state from all security threats.
He announced that the command would organise a security conference shortly to address rising cases of cultism and violent crimes in the state.
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