Following the arrest of an informant, simply identified as Egbon, as a kidnap prime suspect in Akesan, Lagos State, residents of the area are currently threatening to confront the Police in the area.
Egbon was arrested by police operatives at the Igando area of Lagos over an allegation that he had been behind the activities of suspected kidnappers in the area.
Our correspondent gathered that the arrest of the man, if not carefully handled, might lead to a clash between the police and residents of the area.
Residents, who spoke with our correspondents, expressed disappointment with the police at the Igando division for arresting the suspect, who they claimed had been assisting in combating the activities of suspected kidnap gangs in the area.
In the last operation, which led to the rescue of the seven victims, he was fully involved, and even led the operation in the creeks
According to them, the police arrested the suspect after he led the operatives of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria to rescue seven victims from the hideouts of suspected kidnappers in the creeks in the area.
“The police arrested Egbon for leading a vigilante group to the kidnappers’ hideouts in the creeks. We are surprised that what the police do now is to leave criminals and arrest people helping us to fight crime in our society. Is that their work? If they don’t leave this man on time, we will confront them in this area and make life unbearable for them,” a resident, who simply identified himself as Ola, said.
Speaking in the same vein, another resident, Felix Dada, said, “They arrested him, claiming that he was the sponsor of kidnappers in this area. Whereas, we all know that they have only framed him up. He has been helping to save several kidnap victims. We don’t just understand how the police work again in this country.”
Our correspondent, however, learnt that there were plans afoot to transfer the suspect to the state Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, for interrogation.
The Lagos Deputy State Commander of the VGN, Mr. Adeyeye Santos, had earlier explained that the detained suspect, Egbon, was one of the key informants that had been assisting the vigilance group to uncover hideouts used by criminals in the riverine area due to his deep knowledge of the waterways.
“ In the last operation, which led to the rescue of the seven victims, he was fully involved, and even led the operation in the creeks,” he said.
He said it was a big surprise when he heard that he had been arrested as a kidnap suspect and detained by the police.
He wondered how the suspect who was involved in the battle against the suspected kidnappers would now be accused of being one of them.