The Police
in Lagos State have arrested a gang of robbers which specialized in attacking
and breaking Automated Teller Machines (ATM).
The seven-man
gang of robbers confessed to have attacked Access Bank, Ayobo, First Bank
Idimu, Zenith Bank, Malu Road Agegunle, Diamond Bank, Pen Cinema, Agege, among
others, where they made away millions of naira. Among the suspects are; a
pastor and a medical doctor. The doctor who has eight children, with one in US
and another in Germany, said that his University of Ife degree result was
forged by some lecturers.
The pastor’s
job is to pray for the gang before they embarked on any ATM robbery operation
and the doctor’s job is to carry out immediate treatment on any robber shot
during gunfire with police.
A police said: “The fake doctor used to go to
robbery operations with them. Immediately any robber is wounded, it’s his job
to treat the person. He used to immediately put them on IV drip once they are
wounded on scene.”
The suspects
confessed to the killing of three police officers during the Access Bank
robbery on November 16, 2013 and making away with their guns.
During the fateful Access Bank robbery, the
robbers went with eight gas cylinders and had already blast the door of the ATM
open, when police appeared and spoilt their tea party.
The robbers
have been identified as Jonathan Nsirim, Tajudeeen Dosunmu alias Doctor, Isaiah
Willie alias Pastor, Tairu Kareem, Daniel Kareem, Daniel Onuoha, Eyo Bassey
alias General and Confidence Saviour.
The name of
their leader had also been identified as Daniel Onuoha alias ‘Find Money’, now
late. He was said to have been killed during gun duel with SARS operatives at
Ilasamaja.
Recovered
from them are: 12 AK47 rifles, two K2 rifles, 30 AK47 magazines, one pump
action gun, one police Walkie-Talkie, one hammer, one cutter, eight gas
cylinders and Access Bank’s
machine(ATM), destroyed by the robbers.
Parading the
suspects today(Thursday), at the police command, Ikeja, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police(CP),
Umar Manko said that the hunt for the ATM robbers started after they attacked
Access Bank, Ayobo and killed three of his officers. He had vowed to leave no
stone unturned in his hunt for the robbers.
The Special
Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, were said to have worked round the clock,
trailing and hunting for the fleeing robbers.
On November 20, 2013, the hunt paid off. It
was the single arrest of a member of the gang that led to the arrest of other
members of the gang.
Manko said: “On
November 16, 2013, at about 1am, a gang of armed robbers stormed Access Bank
PLC, Ayobo branch and attempted to burgle and cart away money from the bank’s
ATM. Policemen from Ayobo Division, led by ASP Longnus Amuzie, who the robbers
later killed, opened fire on their patrol vehicle and killed three policemen,
including Amuzie, while other policemen sustained injuries. Two AK47 rifles,
belonging to the dead policemen were taken away by the robbers.”
He added
that on November 20, 2013, the Officer in Charge of SARS (OC), SP. Abba Kyarri
led a team of SARS decoy team to Akawo Street, Ilasamaja, where some armed
robbers were arrested after a gun battle.
One AK47
rifle, belonging to police, 11 AK47 magazines, fully loaded and three Nokia
phones were recovered.
SARS
interrogated some of the suspects and they squealed about other gang members.
Based on their confessions, the operational base of the robbers was traced to a
rented apartment at Ajibode Close, Iyana Ipaja, where the following weapons
were recovered; four AK47, 19 fully loaded magazines, Police Walkie-Talkie and
charger, 300 rounds of AK47 ammunition and eight gas cylinders.
“Furthermore,
on February, 9, at about 2am, Kyarri got information about the secret house
rented by late Saviour who was gunned down by SARS recently. Immediately the
house was traced at Alimosho area and searched, seven AK47 rifles, two K2
rifles and one pump action were found concealed in a plastic drum in the
kitchen,” said Manko.
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