The operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State
Police Command have arrested two armed robbers in two separate incidences in
Ikotun and Olodi-Apapa, just as it recovered gun, jewellery, laptop and 18
mobiles phones from the robbers.
The robbers identified as Bashir Wasiu, 22, from Oyo State and Tunde
Adedeji, 23, from Abeokuta, Ogun State were arrested in Olodi-Apapa around 6:35
a.m. on Tuesday, 19 July, 2016, and Ikotun on Monday, 18, July, 2016 around
4:33 a.m. respectively.
Bashir had on early Tuesday morning in company of his two
other members, waylaid Viho Segun at his residence’s car park, snatching his
documents, phones and N15,000 from him at gun point before leading him to his
flat intending to collect more valuables from his family.
At the Viho’s flat, Bashir threatened to kill him in the
presence of his children and wife if they fail to produce more valuables. When
the wife refused to surrender what they wanted, Bashir smashed Viho’s head with
gun butt and beat the wife to a pulp.
Explaining what happened, Viho stated, "When he started
beating my wife, I summoned courage to engage him. As soon as we started
fighting, his colleague took to his heels. He too tried to run but I held him
and I called out to neighbours, seized his gun and just in the nick of time,
RRS officers on patrol arrived and they arrested him."
According to the suspect, "We have been monitoring Viho. We
know he goes to work early in his car and we decided to ambush him…. We were
three, Michael and I followed him into his flat to collect more money while
Joseph was monitoring the situation outside…. The three of us met at a point
near boundary in Ajegunle. That is where we plan and set out for our
operations. We operate early in the morning and late evening."
For Tunde Adedeji, his 10-member robbery team invaded Muslim
and Omotayo Streets where they robbed all the occupants of the three buildings
they targeted. Two of the three buildings are in Muslim Street while the third
building is in Omotayo Street.
Over 25 robbery victims residing in the three buildings
narrated their ordeals in the hands of the 10-man robbery gang when they
besieged RRS Headquarters in Alausa after reports filtered to them that
RRS
officials arrested one of the robbery suspects. Most of the robbery
victims sustained several matchete cuts in the head and body.
The robbery victims, who came to Alausa in three fully
loaded commercial buses were invited one after the other to identify the
suspect and also identify their belongings from the 18 mobile phones, trinkets
and assorted jewellery, recovered from the back-pack of the suspect. Explaining how they planned and carried out the robbery
operation, Adedeji said:
"At about 12:00 midnight on this fateful day,
Sadiq,
Sule, Ijoba, myself and six others whose names I don’t know met and
discussed
about the robbery.... I was invited into the operation by Sadiq. We met
at
Ikotun Egbe. We discussed the plan and at around 2:00 a.m., we converged
at
Ikotun Roundabout. The arms we used for the operation were cutlasses,
wood and
sticks. None of had a gun. We used legs to break doors and took phones,
jewellery, laptops from our victims.... all the recovered items in my
hand were
from the victims. Sule and I were coming from the operation around 4:00
a.m.
when a local security man intercepted us. He collected Sule’s bag. We
ran away
just as he was opening the bag. But, I was later arrested by RRS
officials of
patrol after seeing the content of my bag.... This is my second
operation with the team. In June, we
also robbed another house in Ikotun. We also took from them phones and
money.... We sell all what we take to one guy called Tablet. Sule
normally call him on phone after the operation and we meet him at
Olugbede in
Egbeda area."
According to one of the victim of the Ikotun robbery who live in Muslim Street, Isiaka
Alarape, "the robbers entered my house around 2:30 a.m. they were more
than 10 but 5 of them entered my room.... They broke my door completely, smarched glass on my head
and hit me with gun. They matcheted my wife and my neighbour seriously that
they have to be rushed to the hospital.
Similarly, another victim who live in Omotayo Street,
Friday Osigbe, said "they took N110,000:00 from me before taking my
phone."
While Bashir Wasiu was transferred to SARS office in
Ikeja, Adedeji was transferred to Ikotun Police Station along with the
recovered items for further investigation.
Speaking on the robbery, the Police PPRO, SP Dolapo
Badmos confirmed the arrest, adding that the police is not resting on
its oars. She stressed that the Command would continue to work
round the clock to reduce crime in the state.
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