IGBOZURUOKE FORUM

A suspected member of an eight-man robbery gang, Abdullahi Olanrewaju, 30, has been arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command at the weekend.

Olanrewaju was nabbed during their operations at Abeje and Onibeju Streets, off Capitol road in Agege Local Government area of the state. The operatives, who were led to the scene of the robbery by Inspector Anthony Inege, told our correspondent that one of the victims, who managed to escape through the window, alerted them that armed men were operating in their building. The officers followed the complainant to the robbery scene where they met men of the underworld numbering about eight attempting to enter another building on the street.

It was gathered that while the robbers sighted the police, they opened fire on them. The swift response from the RRS operatives, led to the arrest of one of them while others allegedly made away with two pump action guns, a sum of N549, 500 and other valuables. The suspect, who hails from Ita-Amoju in Kwara State, allegedly confessed to RRS investigators that he was lured to join the gang with a promise that they would buy a commercial bus for him after the operation.

“When I arrived Lagos, I started driving a commercial bus, plying Agege to Oshodi; but the bus developed some faults and the owner had to sell the vehicle off. Since then, things became very difficult for me.” The alleged robber, full of regrets, said it was one of those idle days that he met some people at a beer parlour along Akerele Wahabi area of Agege. “I told them I was a bus driver and they promised to buy a new bus for me if I joined them to do businesses that will make me very rich. I never knew it was armed robbery they were dragging me into.

“At midnight when we went for robbery, I, along with seven others met at Markaz Road. They operated from one building to the other while I was placed on standby outside. My job was to keep all the looted items including cash.” The suspect stated that the gang had planned to rob all the houses on two streets, “but luck ran out on us as we could do only five buildings before the arrival of RRS operatives. We had collected a lot of money, mobile phones and jewelries. “Suddenly the RSS people showed up and two of the gang members opened fire on them and they retaliated immediately.  But when we noticed we were about to run out of bullets, we decided to run. Unfortunately for me, while others managed to escape, the police arrested me because I was unable to join the waiting vehicle,” he lamented.

“If I had known the outcome, I would not have followed them that night. It was my first time and now I am the only one caught,” the suspect regretted. One of the victims who did not want his name in print alleged that the arrested suspect led the other men to their house. “That was the man who pointed gun at every one of us; he threatened to shoot us if we failed to cooperate with them. They forced their way into my room and took all my valuables,” he said. “It was a bad night for all of us,” a resident of Onibeju Street told the police.

The victims of the five buildings they robbed on Ibeje and Onibeju streets besieged RRS headquarters to identify the suspect as one of the gang members. “This is the man who threatened to waste our lives; he didn’t act or talks like a first time robber,” a victim said. By the victims’ calculations, the robbers stripped them of about N549, 500 in cash beside other valuables.

Items recovered from the arrested suspect include one cut-to-size pump action, a jack knife, two laptops, 14 handsets, wrist watches and N2, 600 in cash. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo Badmus, said the suspect is helping the Police with the investigation in order to arrest the fleeing robbers. She assured that the Police Command will leave no stone unturned to relegate and suppress any criminal who wants to disturb the existing peace the good people of the state is enjoying. Share this:

Courtesy: Daily Times,ngr.