By ALBERT AKPOR, EVELYN USMAN and VICTOR AKPA-FRESH

THE onslaught against crime and criminality in the state by the new commissioner of Police (CP) Yakubu Alkali have begun to yield successes with the smashing recently, of a notorious armed robbery syndicate that specialized in robbing banks. Members of the gang arrested confessed to have participated in the attack of a branch of two commercial banks in the state; where they carted away huge sums of money last month. The state police boss, CP Alkali who paraded the robbers and the recovered arms and ammunition has vowed to rid the state of all forms of crimes including bank robbery in no distance times. He said that his seemingly gentle strides and approach to crime fighting should not be taken for cowardice stressing that, crime in Lagos state has to be viewed holistically before tackling it.

Robbery suspects: From left — Ejike, Jelili and Aino.

Arrest and confession

A member of the notorious gang, Ejike Eze, was rounded up by detectives on routine stop and search along Idimu road, a suburb in the metropolis while driving a Golf saloon car with registration number PU 280 KJA at about 1.30am. It was gathered that when he was flagged down, he initially tried to outwit the team of anti-robbery squad by attempting to offer them bribe but the police men who smelt a rat and considering the odd hour insisted that he must come down first and opened the boot of his car. He was said to have sluggishly obeyed. But the officers were taken aback, on discovering three AK 47 riffles and ten magazines loaded with three hundred rounds of 7.62mm caliber of ammunition. He was promptly placed under arrest. During parade, a visible deep cut was noticed on his head where upon interrogation he confessed to be a member of a bank robbery gang and gave a startling revelation on how his gang attacked two banks last month, carting away an unspecified amount. The 30-year-old suspect revealed how he got the deep cut on his head during an operation in one of the banks at Dopemu. According to him, “On that day in question, we went to operate at Wema bank, Dopemu branch. I was asked to stay outside while others went inside. That was about 2.00am. Later I decided to go inside the bank to find out why they were keeping long. Then the head of the team shouted a me to go back to my post. As I was going, he hit me with an iron, for disobeying his order. They never told me they were going to rob that first day. And I could not ask because I have no voice where they are. I nursed the pains without even questioning and at the end I was given some money to go take care of myself.”

On where he was taking the vehicle to when he was arrested, he said, “ Someone gave me the vehicle to take to a mechanic workshop because it had fault. And on the way I was arrested but I knew what was in the boot. But his claim of taking the vehicle to a mechanic workshop was countered by an investigation officer who said Ejike was taking the vehicle to other members of the gang for an operation. According to the Police man, “Ejike and other members of the gang had met that day but had to postponed the day’s operation because the person that was to give them information on who to attack was not present at the meeting”

Kareem and Bassey

Another member of the gang identified as Owodema Bassey, a native from Akwa-Ibom state who was also paraded however, claimed that he had never gone on robbery operation with the gang but admitted to have bought laptops at give away price from the gang.

According, “ I trade in computer and accessories and laptops, and I own a shop at computer village in Ikeja. Usually they come to me after they must have returned from their operations, and if they have laptops for sale they would sell them to me at a very cheap rate and after sales I return their money to them. He claimed to have met the gang through Ejike, who usually comes to look for the laptops and other things which they bring back from their operations.

“I have nothing in connection with the recovered arms but I was arrested because my name was mentioned as one of the receivers. Anytime they call to say they had laptops, I would make arrangements for a bus to convey the goods to my shop then they will wait for me to sell and return money to them. I do not know that the laptops and other items they give to me to sell are stolen goods.Speaking on his arrest, Bassey claimed, “I received a call one evening, where they told they had laptops for sale and needed a car to carry it.

I then called Akeem Abdulahi to pick up the laptops but on reaching the designated point, he was arrested as the vehicle was discovered to be with weapons. It was when he was arrested that he mentioned my name that I directed him being a mechanic to them admitting culpability, Akeem claimed to be driver to of the robbery gang saying, he had partaken in the robbery twice with the gang. He stated that at the end of the first operation, he got the sum of N170,000.00 and N70,000 from the second operation. But Jelili Amusa lamented that he was a mere victim of circumstance, adding that he was only contacted to effect repairs on the vehicles where the weapons were discovered without any knowledge of what was inside. “ Ask them if I have ever gone on operation with them,” he asked in despair. Meanwhile, the police have promised to let him off the hook if found inculpable of the crime at the end of the investigation while others would be charged to court.