‘We faked street fights to rob hotels, guests’

Four suspected cult members, belonging to the Eiye Confraternity, yesterday confessed to have killed and attacked several hotels in Lagos State.

According to the police, the suspects, Rahmon Sanusi 25, Muftau Jinadu 22, Kareem Idris 22 and Fuad Azeez 25, used to pose as guests in hotels before they swoop on genuine lodgers, to rob them blind.
Recovered from them are one locally made pistol, two live cartridges, machetes and assorted charms.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni said the suspects were also cultists who used to carry out series of fight at Oyingbo and its environs.
According to Owoseni the suspect who belongs to Eiye Confraternity were arrested on 19, April, 2016 but confessed to have robbed and killed someone at Evans Square and also attacked one point Hotel, Moonshine Hotel and Minister Excellence hotel all in Ebute- Meta area.
Idris, who is the kingpin of the gang, said that they intentionally cause street fight in order to destabilize the peace of the community.
He said that once they had caused street fights, over the created panic and confusion would invade and rob hotels. He said that guests in such hotel were never spared. The gang would dispossess them of all their valuables.
Idris said: “We used machetes and locally made guns for operations. After robbing the hotels, we have buyers always ready to buy the items who took from guests in the hotels. Normally, we don’t harm the guests, but when they don’t cooperate, hit them.  Today, as I stand here, I regret my actions; given another chance, I’ll not go back into the robbery.”  
Another member of the gang, Azeez, an herbalist, said: “Everyone know me in the area as an herbalist. One day, these my friends came to my house and persuaded me to produce charms for them. The charm was so that any weapon used on them during attacks, wouldn’t penetrate.”
He continued: “I don’t know they were into armed robbery. It was when they were arrested that they brought policemen to my house. My only crime was in preparing charms for them.”
Sanusi said: “We have our members across Lagos. Whenever we want to fight or robbed, we would invite them to join us. We have our members on Lagos Island, Oshodi, Mushin and other parts of the state metropolis. We were arrested when we went to a hotel to enjoy ourselves. It was there a man who was in one of the hotels that we robbed, came to challenge Idris.  It was there we were rounded up by the police. But two of our colleagues Oshonleke and Sodiq Kashi escaped.”