My friend wanted to shoot me for refusing to join robbery-Suspect

A robbery suspect, Manu Hassan, 22, who used to go with some gang members to rob people plying the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, said he joined robbery because his friend deceived him into becoming a robber.

 Hassan was arrested with Muhammad Umaru, 28, alias GG Dogo.

The team that arrested the suspects was led by the Officer in Charge of SARS, SP. Abba Kyari. Three guns have been recovered from the gang.

Hassan said: “It was Umaru, my friend, who introduced me to robbery. I didn’t know he was a robber. Umaru informed me that he got a job for me. He said I would be working along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. I followed him with the other gang member, Peter. When we got there, they gave me a gun, which I initially refused to touch. They told me that if I didn’t collect the gun, they would shoot me.”

Hassan said they used to attack motorists on the expressway. On the fateful day the gang met its waterloo, they were trying to rob a motorist, unaware that the car behind their prey, was occupied with OP-Mesa operatives.

Hassan continued: “I didn’t have any choice than to surrender my weapon. I didn’t know where to run to and I was arrested.”

Investigators explained that the gang was a five-man-gang, but only two were arrested, while the police are already trailing them.

According to the police, the suspects, who are presently in the custody of operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, are part of those attacking and robbing traders at Berger and Kara Market.

The three men were said to have disappeared into the bush immediately they sighted the SARS men.

Hassan was arrested during the operation on November, 4, around 05: 45 pm along Lagos Ibadan express way.      

The police said:  “The gang has its base in Abbator and Abule-Egbe. Those places are where most of the Fulani and Niger indigenes are living. The gang is part of those that had been terrorizing Kara market. When we got to Abbator, Umaru signed us from afar and started running. Hassan told us that Umaru is the team leader. We later arrested him on November, 27.”

Umaru explained that aside from robbing along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, he also used to steal cows from Kara Market.

His words: “I usually rob cows at night when the owner is asleep. I have a way of speaking to cows which makes it easy for me to steal them. I also go to Eruwa in Oyo State to steal. I have sold about 12 cows. I sold most of them to Alhaji Dan Ma at Abbator, Agege. I sold six cows at the rate of 350,000 instead of 500,000. My last operation was when we went to rob at Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. One of our gang members was arrested during that period. Our new member made police to arrest us.”