A POLICE MAN GAVE US GUNS- ARMED ROBBERS

The police in Lagos arrested a five-man robbery gang led by a fake policeman in the Abbatoir, Agege area of the state on Sept 28th.

The fake policeman, who identified himself as 58 year old Joel Ojo, said the guns and the police Identity Card recovered from the gang were given to him by a friend who is a policeman.

The alleged gang members, were arrested during a stop and search at about 11pm that day. Rifles, 2 pistols , a police ID and uniform were recovered from the car.

Ojo, claimed he was taking the rifles for repair, and  said the reason he had the handguns was because he was a security man and used the guns for security work, and not robbery.

He said:

“We were arrested at about 11pm for driving against the traffic. The guns were in my car and I was taking them for repair. I am not the owner of the guns. I started to use the police I.D. card and the guns early this year. I work as a security man.

“Just assist me. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Kokumo, ordered our arrest.

“We were taken to SARS. As I speak with you, I am having headache and I cannot speak too much. It was one of my police friends who gave me the I.D. card and the guns. He is my friend; he is a CSP. He had also worked as a Divisional Police Officer. He knew I was a security man and he said I should have them. His name is CSP Muhammed attached to the Force headquarters, Abuja.”

A police source told PUNCH Metro that the gang’s vehicle was impounded at the Abbatoir Police Division, while the CSP whom the gang claimed to know, has been called for questioning.

He said:

“They are actually a robbery gang. It was because it was DCP Kokumo who arrested them that the guns were discovered.

“They were driving against the traffic in the Abbatoir area when the DCP’s boys stopped them for a search. In the end, two pump-action rifles and two pistols were found in the vehicle. The DCP immediately ordered that the vehicle be kept in Abbatoir division.

“The police officer they named has been called for questioning. Everybody was shocked that he had a strong link with the robbery gang.”

6 POLICE MEN ARRESTED FOR KILLING 33 YEAR OLD

Six policemen have been arrested and detained at the Force Criminal Investigations Department Annex, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos State, for the killing of a 33-year-old, Emmanuel Orimisan, in the Ilaje-Ajah area of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that the six officers, whose names had yet to be ascertained, were attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba.

They were said to have been rounded up on Wednesday, September 30, after investigations showed that they were culpable in the killing. 

IT had reported on July 21, 2015, that the officers, who trailed some suspected robbers to their alleged hideout in Ilaje community in the Ilaje-Ajah area, caused confusion when they shot Orimisan dead.

It had been reported that the deceased, said to be an apprentice, was sleeping inside one of the buildings in the community and had come out when he heard sporadic gunshots. The bullets hit him and he reportedly died instantly.

Orimisan’s elder brother, Adeogo, said that the policemen, who accused the deceased of being a suspected robber, also took away his corpse.

It was learnt that the policemen were, however, arrested by operatives of the FCID and detained over the death of Orimisan.

A source close to the family told our correspondent that petitions from the National Human Rights Commission and other human rights groups which put pressure on the police, led to the eventual arrest of the officers who had gone on the raid on that day.

He said, “There were six policemen who came to the area on that day. All of them are now in custody. Since July, the police slowed down investigations on the matter, but the family kept on writing petitions to the right groups. Eventually, the six of them were picked up last week.

“They are in the cell as we speak, and there are indications they will be taken to court before the end of the month.

“The boy was neither a cult member nor an armed robber as the policemen initially claimed. He was not married and he lost his father just last year. They shot him and also took his corpse away from the scene. But after the pressure mounted on the police by rights groups, the officers have now been arrested, and we learnt they will be taken to court very soon.”

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, had yet to reply to a text message sent to her phone on the incident