Sergeant’s killer arrested seven months after on Wanted List

Taiwo Jimoh

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested Taiwo Gbolahan aka Scammer seven months after he allegedly murdered Sergeant Emmanuel Abam.

The suspect, who had been on Police Wanted List for months, was arrested by a detachment of policemen from Area D Police Command, Mushin.

Taiwo was picked at Akala area of Mushin on September 18, around 1: 45pm, at No, 23 Oyegunle Street in a slum.

According to the police, the suspect after killing the Abam, who was attached to Itire Police Station, disappeared into thin air.

Our correspondent gathered that a police decoy team on sighting Taiwo at the ghetto area, alerted the Area D Commander, who immediately swung into action. It was further gathered that the police, with the assistant of some members of the community succeeded in arresting Taiwo.

Police disclosed that when the suspect was searched, phone and some SIM cards were recovered from him.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that Taiwo stole the phone from a lady identified as Memunat Opeyemi Zerbo at Orile Iganmu. When the victim was contacted to come forward, she was able to identify Taiwo as a member of a three-man gang that robbed her September on 18, by 5pm.

Zerbo narrated how the gang robbed her while armed with cutlass and knife. She said that her handset and money were taken.

The police said: “The suspect removed the victim’s SIM card and transferred N170, 000.00 from her account into his own. The suspect confessed to the crime and efforts are on to arrest other members of the gang.”

It will be recalled that on February 27, trouble started when a police team raided a shop on Elegba Street, where some hoodlums were selling India hemp.

The hoodlums, on sighting the policemen, attacked them with broken bottles and stones. The policemen, who retreated, later returned with reinforcements. They engaged the hoodlums in a gun battle. In the process, Abam was shot to death.

Some residents, who were enraged by previous police raids,  mobilised and launched an attack. They threw stones, broken bottles and other items at the policemen.

A Junior Secondary School (SS2) student was confirmed to have been killed in the clash.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), CSP Chike Oti said that Taiwo didn't deny committing the crime. The image maker said that Taiwo was assisting the police in its effort to arrest other members of the gang still at large.

He added:  “The Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi, wishes to thank Lagos residents for the information flow to the Command and enjoins those sitting on the fence to key into the Community policing philosophy, in order to ensure a safer and more secured Lagos.”