Queen of robbers dies in police custody

Juliana Francis

The female robbery suspect, identified as Alhaja Faith Balogun, otherwise known as Queen of robbers in the underworld of criminals, has died in the custody of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State.

The suspect was said to have died of HIV in December 2013, just as police detectives were still gathering more dirt on her criminal activities. She was said to have slumped and died at SARS on a day she had just returned from the General Hospital Ikeja. It was gathered that Balogun had also been suffering and receiving treatment for Tuberculosis.

According to a reliable police source, immediately detectives confronted Balogun with her crimes, she had broken down and confessed. She had also told them that she was HIV positive and on retroviral drugs.

It was learnt that she had been rushed to the general hospital several times by the police whenever she goes into any health crisis, which apparently was often.

But she finally slumped and died on that fateful day in December. The police had earlier thought she lost conscious but she was however confirmed dead by doctors after the police took her to hospital.

A police source said: “Presently, SARS is waiting for an autopsy to be carried out on her, to determine the immediate cause of her death. We however all knew she was a HIV carrier. She never hid that fact from anyone.”

According to many robbery suspects, Balogun was one of the strongest, bravest and most daring females in the underworld. She had robbed with the likes of Abiodun Ogunjobi alias Godogodo and Goke. These two men were also feared in the robbery world. She had been named several times by robbers arrested by SARS in different states that she had become one of the most featured wanted female robbers on police lists.

Balogun told police that she was 37-year-old, but they believed she was older than that. She had three kids; two girls and a boy, but they are all from different fathers.

She was part of the gang which attacked a new generation bank in Ketu, where a pregnant bank manager was killed in October, 2008. The pregnant bank manager was shot five times in the head after she refused to cooperate with the bandits. They shot her several times after blowing up the bank’s door with explosives and finally gained access into the banking hall.

A police source said: “It was not only the bank manager that was killed in that robbery operation. One policeman and a market woman were also killed.”

Balogun with Godogodo and other dreaded armed robbers, were part of the gangs that raced through Lagos State in September 9, 2012, shooting, maiming and killing in what many residents in the state later dubbed, ‘Black Sunday.’

On that fateful day, the gang brazenly rocked the foundation of Lagos security, driving through the streets of Lagos State and shooting recklessly like they were in a Wild West American movie.

Their sophisticated looking guns smoked endlessly.  By the time the smoke from their guns cleared, three policemen were dead and about seven civilians injured, including a child.

The robbers stormed Lagos in a Toyota Prado and an Armada Jeeps, streaking like lightening through several parts of the metropolis, and robbing. They attacked and robbed a Bureau de Change at Agege on that Black Sunday. At the Bureau De change, they shot two of the staff and escaped with bags containing local and foreign currencies.

The robbers were believed to have been an eight-man-gang of robbers, comprising six men and two women. Balogun was one of those women, shooting until her fingers became stiff.

Although police had heard a lot of sleazy stories about Balogun, but many of them believed had not set eyes on her.

Investigations since she was arrested by SARS had however revealed that she was arrested four years, investigated and charged to court. She was however released and allowed to go by the court. At that time, nobody knew she was the infamous ‘Alhaja Faith, queen of robbers.’

This time around, Balogun was arrested on the mere charges of attempting to buy a stolen car. Policemen, who arrested her, did not know they were dealing with the notorious ‘Alhaja Faith.’ After all, people tend to bear the same names.

Acting on a hunch, police went to her home and searched every nook and cranny, in search of incriminating items like guns, but they came back empty.

After three months of detaining her, SARS decided to let her go since they could not pin anything on her.

She was waiting for someone to come and take her bail, when she walked into one of the police officers’ office, unaware that a robbery suspect was inside with the anti-robbery men.

Immediately the suspect clamped eyes on eyes on her, he said: “But this is the Alhaja Faith I have been telling you people about.”

A police source said: “Alhaja Faith just looked him, fell to the ground and started weeping profusely. She couldn’t deny not knowing the suspect. She cried because she knew it was the end of the road for her.”

One of the robbery suspects, identified as Korede, who was also part of the Godogodo gang, said: “In that Murtala Mohammed International Airport robbery, our gang member, ‘K money’ drove us to the airport. But it was Alhaja Faith who provided vehicles which we used for the robbery. In the Black Sunday robbery, Alhaja Faith was at the Bureau De Change with us. She was also with us at the Hajj Camp, Alade, Ketu-bank robberies, amongst others. She used to go on surveillance for our gang before we strike. She was also used to get arms for us and was in charge of selling whatever loots we stole, including snatched vehicles.

“I first met Alhaja Faith when I sold a Pajero Jeep to her. I snatched the jeep at Oshodi. Alhaja Faith bought the car from me for N200, 000. But she never did finish paying the money, which later led to us quarreling. I later discovered that she was a robber. We teamed up and started working together.”

Korede recalled that there was a time Balogun with the gang went to Pen Cinema, where they attacked a bullion van and killed four policemen. “I don’t know how much other members got from that robbery, but I got N40 million, K money got N40 million and Godogodo also got N40 million,” said Korede.

He continued: “Since I started robbery, that bullion van attack and sharing was my best catch! I lost contact with K money after that operation, but I later ran into him at Abia State where I went for one operation. I took him to the hotel where I lodged and he told me that another robber, Prince Austin, told him that policemen were searching for the entire gang members. He told me that the gang members were also searching for him because someone lied to them that it was him, K money, who tipped the police about Austin and other gang members being robbers.

“Alhaja Faith was also our receiver and seller. She preferred AK47 rifles and pistols during operations. It was Alhaja Faith who killed a policeman at Bisam and when some police came into the hotel where the incident happened, she had simply walked past them, pretending she didn’t know what happened. She had also once killed our gang member for raping a female victim during operation. She had shot and killed that our member after we went back to the hotel, where we were supposed to share the loot. Immediately she shot and killed the man, we all took to our heels. She was fearsome!”

Balogun was from Edo State. She told police that she used to sell alcohol at Oshodi area before she embraced the world of crime.

She was alleged to be part of the gang that attacked and robbed at Oshodi on November 2, 2011. In that operation, the gang robbed a refrigerator deport, killed two police men and four civilians, including a nine-month pregnant woman during exchange of gun fire with the police.

Before she gave up the ghost, Balogun reportedly told SARS operatives how she was first arrested and become a guest at Kirikiri Prisons.

Her words: “I have been sick since 2011. I have TB. I am being treated in Lagos State General Hospital. I have been to prison once. It was Kirikiri female prison. I spent seven months there. I was arrested because of my lover, Dapo. Dapo was arrested for car snatching and robbery. After police arrested Dapo, he mentioned my name during interrogation. That was at Ibadan. I was arrested too. Although I don’t know everything that happened and led to us leaving the prisons, but I knew that money exchanged hands before we were allowed to leave the prisons.”

According to SARS present intelligence gathering, immediately Balogun was arrested, she got in touch with another female robbery suspect, identified as Alhaja Kudos and implored her to become foster mother to her three children. Police are already on the trail of Alhaja Kudos.