The Lagos State government at the weekend exonerated 253 youths that participated in the #Endsars protest, even as the state police command arrested 720 hoodlums across the length and breath of the state.
The State Office of the Public Defender (OPD), acting on the legal advice issued by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions(DPP), Office of the Lagos State Attorney-General exonerating 253 #EndSARS protest suspects, has secured the release of some youths from Police facilities and Correctional Centres in the State.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the Agency, the release warrants have been obtained by OPD from Ogba Magistrate and Yaba Magistrate Courts respectively, based on the order of the Office of the Attorney-General clearing the suspects.
The statement added that the directive has made it possible for OPD to secure the release of eight #EndSARS protest suspects from Panti Police Station, 59 from Medium Correctional Centre and 40 from Kirikiri Maximum Correctional Centre.
“The Lagos State Office of the Public Defender would ensure that all suspects detained and exonerated by the Office of the State Attorney-General regain their freedom as OPD will visit all the Police detention centres and Correctional Centres in the State to effect their release accordingly”, the statement said.
Also, in its bid to solidify the security architecture of the state, the Police Command relaunched its Anti Crime Strategies to curb crimes and criminality across the state.
The Command on Sunday carried out raids simultaneously on identified black spots, reasonably believed to be harbouring criminals and hoodlums, across the fourteen Area Commamds in Lagos State.
In the swift operations, police operatives of the command arrested seven hundred and twenty suspects with incriminating items including locally-made guns and life cartridges, charms, weed suspected to be Indian hemp, substances suspected to be cocaine and some items suspected to have been looted from various shopping outlets within the state during the recent #Endsars violence.
Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu had earlier warned and directed police officers and men to move against lawlessness and criminality in Lagos. He affirmed the zeal of the command to sustain the operations, even, beyond the yuletide season.
Odumosu has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID, panti, to commence discreet investigation on the arrested suspects for immediate prosecution.
He also urged those whose items were looted during the recent Endsars violence to come up for claims of their items with prove of ownership.
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