Armed robbery incidence declining as Amotekun begins operations in Ogun border communities

There has been relative calm in most border communities in the last 24 hours as Operatives of Amotekun appear to resume duties in the border communities of Ogun State where the presence of the Nigeria Police were not significant.

Most border communities in Ogun State appeared abandoned in the armed robbery upsurge, leaving the residents with the option of self-defence.  The youths mobilised extensively to protest their streets and the neighbourhood. The old and all gender were not left out in virtually all households in border communities of Fagba, Ajuwon, Ishaga, Akute, Alagbole, including some inland communities of Agege, Idumu, Ipaja, recently Ikorodu in Lagos State.

The Special Squad deployed by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, provided relative relief in some border communities in Ogun but the squads were highly effective in Lagos in collaboration with Area Commanders.

Getting to the interior appeared a little difficult for the IG Special Squad from Abuja. While

the teams appeared effective on major roads and areas, the interior got minimal protection in the Ogun State border communities.

The Area Command in Ajuwon could not complement the operations of the IG Special Squad on major areas in the precincts. The emergency telephone lines provided for security  interventions in Ogun State gave litlle help to residents. Calls to the Ajuwon Police station DPO rang out without response during turbulent hours Wednesday night on the axis. Some other patrol teams had their lines switched off. However, what would have resulted into bloodshed between innocent youths Ifedayo Estate at about 2.30am on Wednesday was luckily averted by a patrol team from Alagbole area. The youths keeping vigil over the community had approached a wealthy man there to put off his gebetator at the late hour but he ignored them. Attempting to compel him to comply, the man called his boys from Alagbole, giving them false information that youths on his street want to kill him. The boys rushed down in numbers. Being resisted from entering the estate at the gate the youths watching the community, the invaders attempted jumping the gate. This caused relative pandemonium that required police intervention. The arrival of the patrol team with warning gunshots into the air forced the invaders to flee.

Calls to the Lagos Control Room were responded to immediately; same with the Area G Commander, the DPO at Ogba.

Meanwhile, some wealthy men have unilaterally recruited guards to protect their respective streets. Some of the guards were observed to have been recruited from the Amotekun who have changed the security tactics in the areas. Their presence have strengthened the security system in most of the border communities in Ogun. Residents in the last 24 hours now sleep in their with minimal risks and heartbeats.

The Amotekun now cover the interior communities the police do not get to.

Meanwhile, their operations are on the request of private individuals. The role of the state government is not yet certain. However, the miscreants are retreating.  Some of the miscreants who were parading most streets on survey, perhaps, studying the terrain for possible night robbery operations were arrested and handed over to the police by the youths who monitored their movement and were able to identify them as strange visitors to their community. Their identification were possible when the miscreants have no precise mission or destinations in the community.