No fewer than 13 suspected traffic robbers have been arrested by men of the Rapid Response Squad for allegedly dispossessing members of the public of their valuables in the Oshodi and Ketu areas of Lagos State.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Sunday, said the RRS Commander, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, led a team to the areas where the suspects were arrested.
He added that the hoodlums pretended to be porters and absconded with people’s belongings.
He said, “The police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command between Friday 29 and Saturday 30 January, 2021, arrested 13 suspected traffic robbers in Oshodi and Ketu (Alausa) areas of the state, as they intensify efforts in mopping up criminals suspected to be attacking motorists and commuters in traffic.
“The arrests came on the heels of the four-day surveillance on black spots in Oshodi and Alausa (Ketu) with a view to weeding out criminals in the areas where it was reliably gathered that the suspects, most of whom pretend to be load carriers in Oshodi, abscond with travellers’ loads at dawn and at night.
“It has also been gathered that they often attack and rob unsuspecting Lagosians, especially travellers and commuters, in the areas. The suspects were picked up by the Rapid Response Squad between 10.45pm on Friday and 4.30am on Saturday at Oshodi Oke and Alausa, respectively.
“The suspects that were picked up in Oshodi are Tinuola Ajibola, 18; Adeniji Farouk, 16; Wale Ajetunmobi, 24; Chibueze Okasa, 17; Taiwo Goodluck, 36; Sodiq Timileyin, 23; Salami Alex, 21; Umar Abubakar, 20; Micheal Iroaja, 36; Abba Mohammed, 20; and Mukaila Fasepe, 43.
“Two other suspects, Saviour Nwoko, 21 and Ayomide David, 19, were caught in the act by the team with machetes and stolen phones, in Alausa, Lagos. David, alias Sharwama, one of the suspects and ex-convict, disclosed to the police that his gang operated along Olowopopo Road, Ojodu and Ojota.”
In another development, police operatives attached to the Meiran division of the command arrested two suspected armed robbers at Ikola Ipaja Bridge.
Adejobi said, “The suspects were stopped on a motorbike before they were arrested and searched. Upon search, one locally-made pistol, charms and weed suspected to be Indian hemp, were recovered from them. The two suspects are Oluwadamilare Folami, 22 and Desire Chukwu, 21.
“The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has directed that all the 15 suspects be transferred to State CID Panti, Yaba, for proper investigation, while he assured the good people of Lagos State of adequate security and conducive environment to live in and do business as expected.”
