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Recovers Operational Vehicle
- Safiu Kehinde
Operatives of the Ikeja Division of the Lagos State Police Command have apprehended a notorious ‘one chance’ kingpin and two members of his gang.
This was confirmed in a statement issued on Monday by the Command’s spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin.
According to the statement, the Police Division had received a distress call while on routine patrol along Agege Motor Road in Ikeja.
Following the alarm raised by a victim was robbed by the syndicate in a minibus, the police operatives swiftly intercepted the suspects inside the unregistered commercial minibus, which has now been confirmed as their operational vehicle.
The suspects, as identified by Hundeyin, include 53-year-old Bode Oludayisin, 20-eyar-old Michael Sowunmi, and 20-year-old David Olawaye.
Meanwhile, one of the suspects, according to the police spokesperson, was positively identified as a wanted gang leader linked to a series of violent ‘one chance’ robberies across Lagos.
Recovered items from the suspects include a Tecno Spark 20 smartphone belonging to a victim, an axe, two concrete interlock bricks, several heavy stones suspected to have been used to assault past victims, and a broken bottle; all of which have been registered as exhibits and weapons.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang operated using commercial minibuses, commonly known as Korope, pretending to be ordinary passengers.
Hundeyin disclosed that the syndicate often picked up unsuspecting commuters from locations such as Oshodi and then diverted them to unknown locations, where victims were robbed under threats, violence, and intimidation.
The Lagos Police spokesperson said the Command’s Special Squad 1 has since taken over the case to arrest other fleeing members and dismantle the criminal network.
He further disclosed the commendation of the officers by the state’s Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh.
According to Hundeyin, the Commissioner commended the officers for their swift response which led to the arrest of the wanted kingpin and the disruption of the gang’s operations.
He urged members of the public to be extra cautious, avoid boarding unmarked or suspicious vehicles, and to promptly report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station or through the Command’s emergency lines: 08063299264, 09168631003.