SARS Commander transferred on another assignment- PPRO

...reported case of sack, false

By Ezurike Ugochukwu 
The news making rounds in the media that the Lagos State Commander of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), CSP Peter Gana was sacked has been described as false and misleading.

In a press statement by the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), Bala Elkana, said the officer was redeployed to Kaduna on the orders of the Inspector- General of Police, IGP Adamu on another assignment.

Elkana said the Lagos State Police Commissioner,
CP Hakeem Odumosu was full of praises for the transferred Commander of SARS, CSP Peter Gana, for his dexterity and professionalism in confronting criminality and criminal elements in the State headlong.

He extolled the leadership excellence of the commander in firmly supervising and coordinating the activities of Officers and men under his command.

He further stated, “Lagos State Police Command has in the last six months witnessed a huge decrease in crime rate due to the strategies put in place by the seasoned crime fighting Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu psc. From November 2019 to date the Command has successfully foiled 136 armed robbery attempts and arrested 129 armed robbery suspects, 44 firearms of different calibre with large caches of ammunition were recovered, 146 suspects were arrested for murder and 198 for cultism and gang violence.”

The achievements within the aforementioned period was only possible through the efforts, dedication and hardworking Police Officers mainly from the SARS and other tactical units of the Lagos State Police Command.

Not long ago, on the 13th May, 2020 an online media, in a story titled ‘Increasing Criminal Cases in Lagos: Odumosu sacks Anti-Robbery Unit Head for non-performance’ in which the AIG in charge of Zone 2, Ahmed Iliyasu and Lagos Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu were said to be having sleepless nights because of shoddy investigation of robbery cases involving SARS in the state..

According to the story, several moves were said to have been made by senior officers in Lagos to redeploy him but top officers at the Force Headquarters have refused the plan.

Lagos State Police PRO, Bala Elkana

It is in the light of this, that  the Police PPRO advised media professionals to confirm reports before publishing, saying unverified reports when aired could cause disarray among the rank and file in the Force, and could be distractive and deceptive to all And sundry.

Elkana stated that a new Officer, CSP Kehinde Johnson has taken charge of Lagos SARS, and is therefore encouraged to build on the successes recorded by his predecessor and to also bring his wealth of experience to bear in piloting the affairs of the Command’s Special Anti Robbery Squad, towards achieving greater results.