By Evelyn Usman

The sleepy Jakande estate, under Ejigbo Local Development Council Area, Lagos, was recently thrown into panic following reports of robbery attacks both during the day and at night. Reports said the dare-devils always devised a clever way of avoiding policemen on patrol whenever they want to operate.

Residents of the area told Vanguard Metro that before now, the robbers concentrated on motorists plying the Oke-Afa bridge, where their helpless victims were dispossessed of cash, GSM handsets and other valuables.

They later shifted their operation to shop owners inside the estate, following the killing of eight members of the notorious robbery gang by policemen attached to Ejigbo and Isolo divisions during a shoot-out last year. At the end of the gun duel said to have lasted close to an hour, the policemen reportedly uncovered a spare part shop near the bridge where the robbers used as their armoury.

Ismaila...the robbery suspect and The pistol recovered from him

With their attention shifted to Jakande estate, the dare devils who are usually armed, carried a shop-to-shop operation, releasing sporadic shots to scare away intruders as they escaped from the scene, leaving the residents in trepidation.

The worrisome development reportedly took a heightened dimension when pharmaceutical stores in the estate became the robber’s regular port of call. But not resting on its oars, the Ejigbo Police division reportedly intensified its surveillance and patrol around the estate, leading to the arrest of a suspected member of a six-man gang recently.

The robbery gang, as usual, stormed the estate in broad day light, on two motorcycles. Eyewitnesses said they stormed a shop around Junction shortly after the owner opened for the day and snatched her handbag and other valuables. Not done, they proceeded to other shops where they reportedly collected only cash. But unknown to them, plain clothed policemen from Ejigbo division had stationed themselves strategically. On sighting the policemen approaching, the robbers reportedly opened fire before mounting their motorbikes and fled the scene,with the police in hot pursuit.

Luck ran against them at NNPC Junction when a shot fired by the policemen jolted the robbers, thereby prompting one of them to fall off the motorbike. Efforts by his other colleagues to collect the bag of money from their injured colleague failed as they managed to escape leaving the wounded to his fate. In a chat with VM, the suspect who gave his name simply as Ismaila, revealed that his gang was from the densely populated Mushin area. The 28-year-old Epe , Lagos State-born suspect who resides in Ilasa area of the state, explained his gang’s method of operation.

“We are a gang of six members. But I do not follow them always. I have only gone on operation with them five times. What we steal are handsets. I joined the gang after I left my elder sister’s place in Ilasa for Idioro in Mushin where I met Saheed, Abbey, Wasiu and Sunday. The gang leader is Saheed. We operate around Mushin axis, Ilasa and Jakande Estate. We came to Jakande because there are lots of rich shop owners there.

“On the day I was caught, we stormed the estate at about 1pm, where we saw one woman who was just bringing out her wares. We collected her money, handset and neck chain. As we were escaping from the police, we encountered traffic and in my attempt to jump and escape with the bag of money, the policemen caught me, while others fled with the Okada,” he informed.

Asked who owned the locally- made gun recovered from him, he replied in an emotion-laden voice: “ Saheed gave me the gun to defend myself when he saw me falling from the Okada. But before I could pick it, I was caught”.