Nation
Lagos Taskforce Apprehends Two Suspected Miscreants
The Lagos State Task Force has arrested two men suspected to be specialists in picking pockets of commercial vehicle passengers.
The suspects–Sodiq Olagoke, 25, and Lucas Patrick, 26 – who confessed to making an average of N80,000 daily from their operations, take advantage of the rush and confusion in commercial vehicles to pick the wallets and other valuables from the pockets of their victims.
The agency’s spokesperson, Abdulraheem Gbadeyan, in a statement, said that the suspects were arrested after they had dispossessed eight unsuspecting commuters of their phones at Oshodi/Ikeja axis.
Gbadeyan said that the officers, who made the arrest, explained that the suspects looked suspicious.
“Our men noticed that both the driver and the two male passengers seemed uneasy after driving past them (officers).
“Our officers trailed them for a few minutes and later blocked their vehicle at Oshodi; immediately they sighted our men, the three occupants of the bus took to their heels.
“Two of them were arrested with the assistance of people around, and eight mobile phones stolen from unsuspecting passengers who boarded their vehicle were found on them,” the statement said.
It quoted Olagoke, a painter, as confessing that he had been in the pickpocket business for over a year and makes 80,000 Naira per day which he usually share with his partner.
“Olagoke said that they operate mainly on Tuesdays and Fridays because those are the busiest days of the week and there is usually a lot of hustle and bustle at the bus stops
“He said that passengers, who make use of their phones while in their bus, are usually falsely alerted that there is a fight going on in front which would scare them into pocketing the phones that would then be stolen.”
Gbadeyan said that the second suspect, Patrick, a driver, also disclosed that pickpocketing was a very lucrative business for him.
“Patrick said that they make a lot of money from it, but lavish everything on drinks, women and gambling.
“He said he was originally a driver of a commercial bus but when he met Olagoke, after a successful pickpocket operation in his (Patrick)’s bus, he decided to go into partnership with him by driving him around while Olagoke steals the phones from the passengers.”
Gbadeyan said that the agency’s Chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye, had vowed to make Lagos uninhabitable for all criminal elements.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
