On Friday, June 14, 2024, three brothers, identified as Abbas Fouani, Youssef Fouani, and Amtal Fouani, were abducted around 6 pm in Lagos.
The three brothers were abducted while returning from their factory by boat. Their company, Fouani Nigeria Ltd, is Nigeria’s sole distributor of LG, Hisense, and Maxi products.
On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, the police said they were released on Monday night in Orugbo Iddo.
The Lagos State Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said that the feat was achieved by the Lagos Marine Police with support from the Nigerian Navy.
He said, “They were rescued late last night in Orugbo Iddo. Our marine police with the support of the Nigerian Navy brought them to shore. After that, our tactical team in the area took them home on Banana Island in the early hours of today (Tuesday).”
Hundeyin could however not confirm whether ransom was paid before their release.
There has been an alarming increase in violent activities of hoodlums in several Lagos communities.
Consequently, residents, business owners and pedestrians are being repeatedly harassed, attacked, extorted and robbed by gangs of hoodlums who have taken over the inner cities and constituted a nuisance to the populace.
The menace is entrenched in areas like Agege, Oshodi, Ikeja, Obalende, Ajah, Lagos Island, and Ojo.
In April 2024, residents of Fadeyi in the Somolu Local Government Area lamented that youngsters between the ages of 16 and 20 years were terrorizing them, as well as some business owners in the area. The ‘area boys,’ a euphemism for secret cult members and layabouts attack shops and business outfits.
The gang reportedly threatened law enforcement officers, preventing police from taking action.
“All major streets across the state should be well lit and the surveillance system should be well-monitored. The police should stop compromising with hoodlums, they should apprehend them and prosecute them.”
The latest of their escapades was an attack on a staff member of a water company in the Alhaji Calfo area of the community. He was brutally stabbed with a bottle by a thug.
Fadeyi residents accused the gang members of terrorizing the elderly, young adults, and traders.
They claim that the thugs often molest and harass girls in the area and threaten to rape them.
Also in the Coker Lane area of Fadeyi, two persons were brutally stabbed by gang members. After this incident was reported at the police station and one of the suspects was arrested, the hoodlums mobilized themselves and launched an attack on people in the area.
According to the report, everyone in sight, including the young and the aged were beaten with clubs and horse whips. The hoodlums went further to damage property owned by residents and demanded the release of their colleague from police custody.
Such barbarism should have no place in a potential smart city like Lagos.
On May 1, 2024, hoodlums in Ile-Epo, Abule Egba, clashed with youths, during which many persons were injured and a section of the market was looted and razed. The police said more than 50 suspects linked to the clashes were apprehended, and the shanties they occupied were demolished, leading to the discovery of a drug den.
Studies have noted a link between thuggery and drug trafficking or usage. Residents of Lagos have complained about how young men openly consume and abuse drugs across the state with law enforcement unperturbed.
Insecurity of lives and property in Lagos and Nigeria in general has continued unabated through crime perpetration of all kinds.
All forms of violent crimes, including property crimes are reported in the newspapers virtually on a daily basis. Adopting purposive sampling technique, a total of twelve literate respondents, across the three Senatorial Districts (Lagos Central, Lagos East and Lagos West) who had lived and worked in Lagos State for at least five years preceding the study were interviewed.
Findings revealed a sense of insecurity and palpable fear among the respondents. They all said that Lagos State is prone to crime; murder, robbery, kidnapping, while payment of ransom to secure the release of kidnapped victims were rife.
Other studies link the surging wave of crime in the state to the rate of unemployment and the inadequacy of security operatives.
In Nigeria, this is real. With a strength of 371,000 officers, the country’s single police force is shorthanded. This is compounded by the illegal deployment of two-thirds of the corps to guard VIPs, rendering communities without police presence.
Ostensibly, the Lagos State Government has lost the political will to stamp out the impunity displayed by thugs across the state due to the use of such hoodlums for violent political purposes.
The state government and police need to intensify their security strategy. The Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Watch should be strengthened and equipped to tackle the level of crime within Lagos communities. Like in other civilized cities across the world, the Lagos State Government should introduce CCTV cameras to track and apprehend criminals.
All major streets across the state should be well lit and the surveillance system should be well-monitored. The police should stop compromising with hoodlums, they should apprehend them and prosecute them.
Community associations should organize local vigilance groups and there should be an increase in awareness of the dangers of drug abuse and the provision of rehabilitation centres across the state.