Police Expose Robbers’ New Tactics...

The Lagos state police command has exposed the latest tactics being employed by criminals to rob residents particularly at night.

According to PM News, the command’s spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmos, in an interview on Sunday, July 3, said criminals, in an attempt to rob or kidnap their victims, now engaged in switching off running power generating sets or turned on tap water, to lure them out.

She therefore warned residents not to come out at night if they noticed that taps within their compounds were opened or when their generators suddenly stopped working.

“Residents should be careful when they discover that their generators stop working or notice water gushing out from their taps, at night.

“They should watch carefully before going out. If they notice strange movements, they should call the nearest police station.

“This is why residents are advised to know the telephone numbers of the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) or station phone numbers close to them,’’ Some residents in some parts of Lagos who have been robbed by criminals using this tactics also narrated their ordeal to PM New.

Mr Tunji Ajayi, a victim and resident of Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA said the criminals made away with his generator set, after switching it off. He said: “When they could not gain access into my house, they became frustrated, they then decided to take away my generator.

“I left my generator on at night as usual, but at about 2 a.m, the generator suddenly went off. “I took my time to observe what must have happened through the window before stepping out, but suddenly, I heard footsteps, so I decided to stay back.

"When the criminals realised that I was not coming out immediately, they decided to take away my generator.”

Another victim, Mr Pius Bamidele, a school teacher in Ikorodu, he said the hoodlums gained entrance into his home after opening the tap in his compound. “When I heard water coming out of the tap at about 1.30a.m, I wondered who could be fetching water and would have left the tap open at that time of the day.

“As soon as I came out, one the robbers pointed a gun at me and walked me into my apartment, where they made away with some of my property,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, members of the Delta state House of Assembly have approved life imprisonment for any person convicted of kidnapping in the state.

TTe approval follows the amendment of the state anti-kidnapping law 2016 and the need to reduce the death penalty being the punishment for those found guilty of the act.

Most states in Nigeria have remained at a loss on the best way to combat kidnapping now taking its toll on the citizens.