GistNigeria

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.