Return of bank robbers

• Tackling robberies: A challenge for new CP

When Mr. Solomon Arase was appointed and confirmed as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), every security stakeholder and analyst knew it was only a matter of time before he rejigs the policemen for better performance of his administration.
All former IGs prefer officers they could count on to be placed at key positions. Like in a war front, the General usally puts his best soldiers’ at the most sensitive spots. When Arase started transferring policemen, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, the former Lagos State Commissioner of Police was affected. The number one policeman at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ikeja, Lagos Command, Mr. Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police (SP), was also moved to Abuja.
A new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni had immediately taken over from Aderanti. Lagos has always been a haven for crimes and criminals because it’s a commercial nerve centre. These crimes and criminals are what Owoseni should be getting ready to tackle.
There are speculations that many robbers, who had hitherto remained hidden and operated outside Lagos State, may soon start crawling out from their holes to begin creating mayhem in the state after Kyari’s transfer to Abuja. According to a police detective, some of the emerging crimes in Lagos include: return of ‘One-Chancearmed robbers’, return of bank robbers, ATM armed robbers, cultism and increasing cases of housemaids and sales girls disappearing with master’s valuables and conniving with robbers to attack their bosses’ homes.
Police sources further revealed that Owoseni is already marshaling out his strategy in fighting crime in the state. One of the sources added: “The new Commissioner of Police said that he believes very much in being proactive. Thus, he and his team will try to prevent crimes before they happen, rather than wait for it to happen before reacting.”
Being proactive is naturally what most Nigerians; especially residents in Lagos yearn for. Everybody wants crime to be checked and criminals arrested before they strike. A laudable idea, but very tremulous in the Nigerian society. The country is still young and wobbling on its attempts at embracing 21st centry policing. The Nigeria Police Force lacks the equipment to become effectively proactive.
Thus, no matter how proactive the police in Lagos may become, they should gear up for fighting crime when it happens. Speaking on the benefits of intelligence gathering and the police being proactive, a SARS operative said: “Yes, there are times we get information from paid informants. Most of these informants are former armed robbers.
They give us information about a robbery operation that was going to take place and we swing into action to stop it. But such chances, opportunities are few and far in between. We used these informants big time during the era of Kyari. Kyari pays them big money for information. He rented houses for most of them and pays their annual rents. When you see them, you wouldn’t believe they are former robbers.”
Sometimes, SARS men go undercover in order to get information that could help in nipping a robbery in the bud. They join robbery gangs. This is why most of them have now embraced wearing of earrings, braiding and perming of hair. They do all these, in order to blend with the robbers.
These men are ready to lay down their lives to ensure they get information that their bosses later brag about as being, ‘receiving intelligence report and being proactive.’ These undercover cops are often shot point blank by robbers if their covers are blown.
A few years ago; one of such SARS men who went undercover, escaped from the gang with bullets lodged in one of his legs. He spent months in the hospital and had a limp to show for his effort. Till he was transferred out of Lagos SARS, he never was able to take active part in crime busting anymore.
He was seen as being physically challenged. But since Owoseni wants to deploy ‘proactive strategy’ in policing Lagos, he still has to confront the ghosts that troubled his successors and gave them sleepless nights.
One of the ghosts presently facing Lagos today is the return of bank robbers. It was due to bank robberies that the police, together with the Lagos State Government clamped down on commercial motorbikes.
But today, bank robbers are back. They are now better armed with more sophisticated weapons, including explosives and machine guns. These weapons make mockery of the police AK47 rifles.
Bank robbers repeatedly struck during the era of Aderanti. A few of them were caught, but those caught were discovered to be mere hirelings. The big ‘fishes’, said to be from Warri, Delta State, have long since sailed back home. They sailed to Warri, to celebrate their success and spend their loots.
It’s however only a matter of time before they run out of money and decide to strike again. These men, with one of them called, ‘general,’ are believed to be part of the Niger Delta militants. These are the big time robbers that Owoseni should be getting ready to tackle. He should be ready to arm his men with better guns, if he wants them to confront these bandits.
Sending policemen touting AK 47 rifles to challenge robbers armed with machine guns and explosives, is akin to sending them on a suicide mission. Speaking on ways to secure banks from robbers, a policeman said: “Banking sector should put more efforts into security.
They should ensure that close to four policemen are deployed around a single bank. But what we’ve discovered is that most of them would rather employ private security firms’ guards and detail only one or two policemen to the bank.
They keep saying they don’t have money. Plain cloth policemen should also be stationed at banks. In Oba Akran, Ikeja, for instance, there are close to 20 banks there. These banks should come together and ensure that four Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) are positioned at strategic points in that axis. The banks should care for the policemen that will be in those APC. They should at least give them breakfast and lunch.”
According to him, for any bank robbery to be successful, there must be an insider. Thus, banks should begin to scrutinise security details attached to their banks. They should also carry out scrutiny of contract staff. He however noted that bank managers should be one of the most investigated before and after employment, “because they stand to benefit after any robbery.
The robbers may cart away N100million, but the manager will jack up the amount, diverting the rest money to his pocket.” A SARS detective also explained: “In the western world, an alarm is rigged to a police station. Once there’s a robbery and the alarm activated, it sounds in the police station and the policemen will swing into action. But in Nigeria, the banks are fond of installing fake alarms! Once a rat passes by it, it starts ringing. Policemen will rush to the bank, only to be told that it was a rat. It’s unreliable and stressful for policemen who run there every time. Another way to check bank robbery should be the Close Circuit TV.
Most banks mount the CCTV to show only inside the banking halls and premises. There should be cameras focused on the roads too. It will pick anything happening in the streets before it gets to the bank.” Within the few days that Owoseni took over the mantle of leadership of the Lagos Police Command, he had received applauds from some of his men. He was said to have created a team known as, ‘SARS Ikorodu,’ because of the raids on banks in that axis.
“Yes! Due to the Ikorodu bank robberies, half of the personnel of Ikeja SARS had been moved. Over 185 personnel had been moved to Ikorodu. They are part of SARS Ikorodu. But sadly, they have no place to sleep. Many of them sleep and squat in police stations,” said a police source. “I don’t understand why the local government chairman in that area can’t help them with a place to sleep. This is why many policemen have refused to play heroes and die.
If you die, you die for nothing! Even the banks don’t care for a policeman shot and killed guarding their banks. In the Lekki bank robbery, three policemen were killed. I can tell you authoritatively that one of them was given only N20, 000 by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
They were all buried by their families. Policemen shot and wounded in bank raids pay their hospital bills themselves! Banks don’t assist, yet the banks expect policemen to lay down their lives to protect the banks.” Another persistent, but troubling issue in Lagos right now is cultism. There’s no amount of policing and intelligence gathering deployed that can check and detect when cult members may strike. They have been known to quarrel and embark on a fight over insignificant issue like girl-friend snatching.
Residents and passersby caught in the shootout between warring factions have often been left maimed and others dead. As the years pass, the clash got bloodier and members became more blood thirsty. Before they used to shoot at their opponents, but these days, they have taken to beheading.
Areas prevalent for cultism are Bariga, Shomolu, Mushin, Fadeyin, Oworoshoki and Lagos Island. Owoseni and his some of his men should zero in on these aforementioned areas. A policeman said that cult wars persist because the actors, who shoot and kill, are still being treated with kid gloves.
His words: “Security agencies should start treating cultism as robbery. It persists because people see it as a bail able offence. If it carries death penalty, parents and the cult members would have sit up! These boys carry guns, kill and rob. Why shouldn’t they be treated as armed robbers? Most importantly, they are sponsored by the rich, powerful and politicians.
Once they are arrested, you wouldn’t believe the caliber of people that used to call for their bail. If cult wars must stop, the law must be allowed to take its course. Parents, chiefs and local government officials should help in speaking to these youths.” According to SARS men, they are beginning to record increase in ‘One-chance-armed robbery’ and ‘ATM robbers.’
The policemen said that investigation revealed that some armed robbers used to lurk around ATM galleries, waiting for customers. Once a customer collects money from the ATM, they trail and rob the person of the money. This is an area Owoseni should get his think tanks working on a right way. A policeman who had just finished a case on ATM robbery, said: “They come in different guises these days. Some wear policemen uniforms. But they are actually fake policemen. They’ll be inside their vehicle, watching anyone going to the ATM to collect money.
The so called policemen will step out from their vehicles; accost the person who had just collected money. They would introduce themselves as policemen, insisting the person should follow them to their station. Once the person enters the vehicle, they would bring out gun and collect the money. They would check the victim’s phone for the bank alert; take him to another ATM gallery to clear his or her account. Others use cabs to pick passengers, show them guns, collect their ATM cards and Personal Identity Number (PIN) and empty their accounts.
People should stop carrying their ATM cards around.” In order to check robbers who prowl around ATM gallery, waiting to trail customers, Owoseni and the bankers should come together and seek ways to deploy policemen to guard ATM gallery 24 hours.