Five social miscreants, popularly known as “Omotaku”, have been arrested in Abule Egba, TBS, and other parts of Lagos State by the police.

The suspects were arrested early Tuesday by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Other Related Offences.

The agency’s spokesperson, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, confirmed the arrest in a statement signed by him and made available to the Nigerian Tribune.

Gbadeyan said, “Operatives of the Lagos State Task Force have arrested notorious street urchins popularly known as Omotaku along Aboru, Abule-Egba–Abeokuta Expressway, TBS, and other areas of the state.”

According to him, “The five suspects : Alade Olarewaju (M), 25; Oluwadamilare Alabi (M), 38; Sunday Idowu (M), 32; Rabiu Ibrahim (M), 29; and Raji Yusuf (M), 23, go about accosting unsuspecting motorists and extorting them of their hard-earned money when their vehicles develop mechanical faults and break down on highways around Abule-Egba, Aboru, and TBS areas of the state.”

He also stated that, “The five of them were arrested today following a tip-off through the agency’s hotlines.”

Speaking on the incident, the Chairman of the agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, disclosed that he had been on the trail of the suspects for a long time due to numerous reports from members of the public about a group of daredevil youths around the Abule-Egba axis who accost motorists and begin negotiating financial settlements in exchange for the release of their vehicles.

According to two of the suspects, Alade Olarewaju and Oluwadamilare Alabi, their targets are usually vehicles conveying goods and lorries that break down on highways.

The suspects said, “What we do is that whenever a truck breaks down, we approach them and inform them of nearby roadside mechanics to help repair their vehicles. After this, we then show them our true colour. We threaten them with the removal of their vehicle batteries before they part with some money.”

The suspects were also arraigned in court on Tuesday on three-count charges of illegal collection of fees from drivers of broken-down vehicles, wilful obstruction of such drivers, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

“I urge members of the public to continue reporting any suspicious activities to the nearest police station or to the agency through our feedback channels for prompt action. There is no more room for criminality in Lagos,” Akerele stated. (TRIBUNE)

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