POLICE NAB 2 ROBBERS IN LAGOS STATE

A gang of armed robbers that specialize in using motorcycle to rob within Lekki-Ajah Expressway in Lagos were arrested over the weekend by operatives of Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command.

The Police authority revealed that the suspects, Odunayo Mustapha, 22, and Adedayo Akinjola, 22, were nabbed while trying to escape with their motorcycle, after they had successfully snatched a mobile phone from an unsuspecting member of the public.

The suspects confessed that they were a three – man gang who usually rob in a traffic gridlock along Lekki-Ajah corridor.

The leader of the gang, Odunayo Mustapha, who hails from Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State said: “I was lured into the crime due to financial predicament. Lack of formal education was one of the reasons I went into robbery.”

While noting  that his victim’s phone attracted his attention when he peeped into her car,  Mustapha added  that “three of us left home in search of our would-be victims. On getting to Ajah opposite a shopping mall, where traffic is usually hectic, we sighted a woman in a car holding a  phone; I alighted from the motorcycle while the other members were standing by on the motorcycle. Immediately I forcefully collected the phone from her, we mounted the motorcycle and zoomed off.

“While on the run, we sighted the RRS men chasing us with brand new power-bike,   later, they overtook  us but one of us disembarked and took to his heels with the stolen phone, while we were arrested.“I am an illiterate because my parents could not provide the wherewithal for me to have a formal education. This was what brought me to Lagos some years ago. While in the state, I started work as cart pusher around Jakande area in Ajah. Little proceeds from this business couldn’t sustain me.“Our first operation was carried out by the three of us in Ajah, Lagos. We collected one smart phone from our victim. It was sold to one Mallam Hassan by Adedayo, I was given  N2,500. The second operation was not successful and the third one was this one that led to our arrest.”

The second suspect, Adedayo, said, “before now, I was learning aluminium work but I could not complete it due to financial constraint. We just started the act of robbery in the area. And this was our third operations.   The motorcycle we use belonged to the third suspect who is now at large.”

Lagos State Police command’s image maker,  Joe Offor, confirmed the arrest of the suspects and added that   efforts were in top gear to arrest the third suspect.