Gang in military, naval uniforms, attacks company 15 times, rapes girl

The suspects

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos State, has arrested a gang,  which, operating in military camouflage and merchant navy uniforms, attacked Reckitt-Benckiser pharmaceutical 15 times and even raped female residents at the Agbara area of Ogun State.

The 13 man-gang’s waterloo started after the company, sick and tired of the incessant attacks, alerted SARS, which embarked on investigation.

While some are still at large, the police have arrested about nine gang members, identified as Deji Akinwunmi, Okiefa Gods power, Shola Komolafe, Ezekiel Dikeocha, Tunde Oyedele, Osagedele Happy, Taiye and Kehinde Balogun(twin brothers), and Samuel Kingsley.

According to the police, the gang was known for always attacking Reckitt-Benckiser pharmaceutical company, located at the Agbara area of Ogun State.

The company has a warehouse, where the raw chemicals, Soap Nodules, used in manufacturing of products are kept in 25 kg bags.

Some of the suspects have been discovered to be security guards, from Asco Security Company, attached to the pharmaceutical company, while others are casual workers.

While investigators said that the gang had struck the company 15 times before its arrest, the gang members, who said they could not remember how many times,  insisted: “It can’t be more than eight or 10  times. The started by taking some bags out, then we brought in faragone buses, and then graduated to using trailers. It was the last operation, which we used four trailers, which led to our arrest.”

A police source said: “The last operation was in May 2013, after the gang went to the company with arms and military and naval uniforms. They went on Sunday, at about 8am. They disarmed the guard on duty, stormed the home of a man residing in a boy’s quarters attached to the warehouse.

“They tied the mouth of the five victims in the house with cello tape, blindfolded them and tied their hands and legs with rope. They also raped one of the female victims.”

After they had taken care of the victims, they accessed the warehouse, and started loaded the four trailers with the bags of chemicals.

They loaded 236 bags of soap nodules valued at N17 million, but the gang sold the bags at a giveaway price of N4.7million.

Since that fateful incident, the police had been hunting for the gang.

This year, there was a break through with the arrest of Okiefa God powers. He was arrested at Check Point area, along Agbara, Badagry area. He was later used as bait to catch other members mentioned above.

Each of the gang members in SARS custody has confessed to partaking in the operation, with some revealing that they used money to rent and furnish apartments. Godspower said that he used his share of the loot to buy car, get a viewing centre and date women.