We got N28m from Agbara robbery –Gang leader

The Inspector General Police (IGP), Solomon Arase’s Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), has finally burst the gang that had been terrorising banks in Lagos and Ogun states. The gang is also the one vandalising oil pipelines in both states, including killing and carting away corpses of law enforcement officers they killed.

The robberies, killing of officers and stealing of oil from vandalised pipelines, which started this year, gathered momentum after the fateful robbery of First City Monument Bank, located at Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos State in March this year.

The robbers blew up the bank with dynamites, carted away millions of naira, and killed three policemen and a teenage girl hawking fish.

According to a source from Sapele, Delta State, the gang’s waterloo started after its leader, identified as Kelly Fotor 35, alias Kelvin was arrested at a wedding ceremony with three of his members on Saturday amidst heavy shooting.

The members, sensing that the stern faced men bearing down on them were policemen, whipped out guns and started shooting, throwing guests into a panic. The guests all scampered for safety.

The source said: “There was a serious gun battle. A police man was killed and three out of the four members sustained bullet wounds. Other members escaped.”

It was gathered that the remaining members escaped to Delta and Ondo states. The IRT team narrowed and beamed its searchlight on Fotor after the arrest of one of the gang members. Fotor’s phone number was gotten from the suspect and used to track him to Sapele. Incidentally, members who jettisoned the gang were located by IRT detectives and questioned. They all allegedly fingered Fotor as their leader.

The gang specialises in attacking banks and oil pipelines. The modus operandi is to enter the states through waterways, blow up banks with dynamites, cart away millions of naira and escape through waterways. The gang also has a penchant for killing law enforcement officers found along oil pipelines.

Once they killed these officers, they disappear with their corpses. They had once killed four policemen at Ikorodu, and another four at Igando. Three officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were also killed this year and the gang disappeared with their corpses. In September 2015, the gang killed between eight and 12 officers of the Department of State and Security Services (DSS) and made away their bodies and rifles.

The leader of the gang, Fotor, now in police custody, is presently singing like a bird.

According to the source, Fotor reportedly told IRT team in Sapele that, “I led the gang in all the five major bank robberies. We killed and buried the DSS personnel in Ishawo Ikorodu area two months ago. We are two gangs; but we used to join forces in time of operations. I and my group used to come from Delta for operations. We would join Lagos group. Our Lagos group specialised in pipeline vandalism. Once we join forces to rob banks, we share the money. In our last operation; the Agbara bank robbery, we got N28 million. The Delta group got N14m and Lagos group got N14m.”

In the Agbara robbery, the gang killed a pregnant woman and a policeman.

Arase, in attempt to bring their reign of terror to an end instructed the IRT team to track and arrest the gang which had been terrorising Lagos banks for long now.
The source said: “After the Agbara robbery, the leader collected his own share of the money and trav­elled to Sapale to attend a wedding. The IG’s team found him at the wedding. The suspect and his members opened fire at the sight of the policemen. In fact, the leader, Fotor and others sustained gunshot wounds. Fotor and his gang used to come from Delta through water and after robbing the banks, with the assistance of some members based in Ikorodu and Ajagemo, off FESTAC, would move back to Delta through the same waterway.”

The gang attacked banks in Lekki on March. In June 1, 2015, they attacked banks at Ijede, Ikorodu, in June 24, 2015, they swooped on banks at Ogolonto, Ikorodu. In Octorber 15, they attacked banks at FESTAC Town, where they killed a mother and her child. On November 19, they paid a visit to banks at Agbara, Ogun State.