Metro
Edgar Imohimi: Meet new Lagos CP, the nemesis of Badoo, militants, kidnappers
The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has appointed Edgar Imohimi as the new Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Lagos State Command.
This followed Edgar’s recent promotion by the Police Service Commission (PSC)
Edgar was until his promotion, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, in charge of Operations, in Lagos State.
Observers believe Edgar is the right man to succeed CP Fatai Owoseni, who many say performed excellently. Not only does the new CP knows the Lagos terrain, he led several raids against notorious kingpins, criminal gangs and their hideouts.
DAILY POST reports that in recent times, Lagos witnessed an increase in cases of abductions and militant activities.
It reached a point that the military had to form a special squad that culminated in a joint task force in conjunction other security agencies, as criminals held sway in areas like Badagry, Ikorodu, Isheri, Epe among others.
Exactly a year ago, a number of militants that terrorized Lagos and Ogun states were killed when the task force stormed the creeks.
The criminals drew the anger of the Nigerian government after seven operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) were murdered the night of Tuesday September 16, 2015 by pipeline vandals at Ishawo in Ikorodu.
Although the corpses of the officers were taken away by the assailants, decomposing remains were later found after some of the suspects caught led security agencies to the burial spot.
The incident charged the nation’s security apparatus and what started like a one-off operation lasted a week; the military carried out aerial bombardment of the general area at regular intervals.
Fighter jets mercilessly shelled Ishawo, Igando and Igbolomu areas of Ikorodu in Lagos State, and Arepo, Awawa, Elepete and Ibafo in Ogun State, while ground troops fired any thug in sight.
The operation involved the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force.
It dealt severe blows to criminals that had long engaged in vices such as pipeline vandalism, robbery, murder, rape and kidnapping.
Worthy of note is the new CP, who by his position as DCP Ops, played active part as he co-led that operation.
In 2017, while continuing the war against militants and kidnappers, the Badoo cult became more lethal and Edgar again was up to the task. He coordinated assaults which resulted in arrests of scores of members of the dreaded gang.
Background
Imohimi Edgar was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force, as a cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, on February 2, 1986, serving in various commands and formations of the NPF within the country in several capacities, spending most of his days at the Lagos State Police Command.
A 1984 graduate of Art at the University of Jos, went on to bag a master degree in Public and International Affairs at the University of Lagos in 2004. Edgar is highly trained on Community and Intelligence Gathering Policing; he organised the first Community Policing summits in Ikeja GRA, Lagos State.
Edgar, who served as the Divisional Police Officer of Shomolu Police Division, Seme Police Division, Ikeja and Surulere Police Divisions, between the year 2003 and 2011, as a Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, before he was promoted and appointed the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, in-charge-of the Area A, Command, Lagos, ?obtained a diploma degree in Police Science. ?
He also obtained a certificate of National Security for Nigeria Defence Intelligence, at the Centre of Strategic Studies, Galilee International Management Institute Israel and the Defence Intelligence College Abuja in 2015, which necessitated his appointment as the ACP in charge of the Intelligence at the Police Force Headquarters Abuja.
An expert in Community Policing, Edgar attended several courses organised by the Department For International Development, DFID, United Kingdom, in Lagos, Awka, Anambra States and Staff College Jos, Plateau State, making him Community Policing in Nigeria.
In 2010, Edgar, as DPO Ikeja Division, launched the first Community Policing in Ikeja Lagos State. He hosted security stakeholders in Ikeja, at Savoy Suite, GRA and lectured participants on how to assist the police on Community Policing.
Operations
Aside the 2016 joint war on militants which he co-led, Edgar currently leads a joint security operation, involving members of the Oodua Progress Congress, OPC, Ikorodu Local Vigilante, Oyebo, the DSS, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, ?traditionalists and some local chiefs in Ikorodu.
The unit was established to specifically tackle the menace of the Badoo cult group. Edgar spearheaded the discovery of a suspected notorious shrine used for ritual purposes.
The new CP also played a major role in the rescue of the six kidnapped students of Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe, who were abducted on May 25, 2017.
The students – Agbaosi Judah, Jonah Peter, Philips Pelumi, Adebanjo George , Yusuf Faruq and Ramon Isiaka – were freed after 65 days.
It would also be recalled that Edgar mobilised policemen from the Anti-Robbery and Kidnapping units of the Lagos Police, and their counterparts at the Marine Police to attack and kill members of the kidnap gang that attempted to snatch some police gunboats from the Marine Police Post in Ajah.
The leader of the kidnap gang, known as America, was killed in that operation. His death and the subsequent arrest of relatives of his gang members, compelled abductors of the kidnapped Epe students to free their captives in Ondo State.
Suspected kidnappers on Wednesday night shot a tomato farmer, Daniel Adesida, and abducted his wife during an attack on their residence along Oda Road in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The incident reportedly occurred around 8:45 p.m., when the gunmen invaded the residence and attempted to whisk away the farmer’s wife.
Sources said Adesida sustained a gunshot injury to his right hand while trying to resist the attackers, who eventually escaped with his wife.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Command, Abayomi Jimoh, said police operatives swiftly responded after receiving a distress call.
According to him, officers mobilised to the scene, rescued the injured victim and ensured he received medical attention.
“Upon receiving the distress call, police operatives swiftly mobilised to the scene, ensured the injured victim was rescued and taken to the police clinic for medical attention, and secured the area,” Jimoh said.
He added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebowale Lawal, had ordered an immediate manhunt for the fleeing suspects.
“The Commissioner of Police has ordered intensified patrols, bush combing operations and intelligence gathering within the affected area and adjoining communities with a view to apprehending the fleeing suspects,” he stated.
Jimoh assured residents that efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted woman and bring the perpetrators to justice.
He also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements or individuals to the nearest police station.
Three workers of a concrete block factory were on Friday morning abducted in the Olojuoro area of Oluyole Local Government Area, Oyo State.
The victims were said to be staff of a concrete block industry owned by Prince Jelili Oyetunde, located within the council area.
Sources told our correspondent that the workers — identified as Adekola Muidini Asanti, Yinka and Saheed — were kidnapped at gunpoint inside a nearby canteen where they had gone to take breakfast before resuming work for the day.
Speaking with journalists on Saturday, the factory owner, Prince Oyetunde, said Closed Circuit Television footage captured the moment the assailants carried out the abduction.
He alleged that the suspected abductors are Baale Alimi Yusuf, Tunde Lawal, Saheed Olawoyin, Ibrahim Shittu and Sule Adigun.
Oyetunde further alleged that one of the suspects carted away a bag belonging to the factory manager during the operation.
He added that both he and the suspected abductors were scheduled to appear before the Oyo State Anti-Land Grabbing Agency next Wednesday, March 4, over a related dispute.
The businessman disclosed that the incident had been reported to the police.
According to him, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Sanyo Police Station confirmed that the abductors allegedly took the victims to the station and were instructed to release them.
He, however, lamented that the whereabouts of the workers had remained unknown since they reportedly left the station.
“We have visited police stations within Oluyole Local Government and made announcements on different radio stations, but as of this morning, their whereabouts remain unknown,” Oyetunde said.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists has been thrown into mourning following the death of seven journalists in a fatal road accident in Gombe State.
The journalists reportedly died on Monday while returning from the wedding ceremony of a colleague held in Kaltungo Local Government Area of the state.
Findings revealed that the accident occurred after a tyre burst on the bus conveying the journalists, leading to a loss of control and a fatal crash.
Confirming the incident, the Gombe State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Samson Kaura, said seven persons died in the crash, while four others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Kaura added that the injured victims were rescued from the scene and taken to medical facilities for treatment.
The Director-General, Government House Press and Media Affairs, Ismaila Misili, also confirmed the death toll, describing the incident as tragic and devastating to the state’s media community.
Reacting, the National President of the NUJ, Alhassan Yahya, in a statement, expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, describing the incident as a huge loss to the journalism profession in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.
Yahya said the deceased journalists were dedicated professionals who served the public with courage, integrity and professionalism.
“They were committed practitioners who served the public with courage, integrity and professionalism. Their loss has left an irreplaceable void in our noble profession,” he said.
The NUJ president also expressed the union’s solidarity with the families of the deceased and members of the Gombe State media community.
“We pray that Almighty God grants eternal rest to the souls of the departed and gives their loved ones the fortitude to bear this painful loss,” he added.
Yahya, speaking on behalf of the National Executive Council and journalists across the country, extended condolences to the Gombe State Council of the NUJ, as well as friends and colleagues of the victims.
He further said the tragic incident highlighted the need for improved road safety measures and responsible driving to prevent avoidable loss of lives, especially among journalists who frequently travel in the course of their duties.
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