Juliana Francis
Operatives of the Inspector-General of
Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu’s Special Intelligence Response Team (IRT), have
smashed a robbery gang, which specialised in using motorcycles to trail and rob
bank customers in Lagos State.
At the last count, the number of
those presently in police custody are 10, while efforts are still on to catch
others. Members of the gang claimed to have built houses from the proceeds of
their crimes, and still another confessed to have given his father a befitting
burial.
Those presently in police custody
are; Musibau Ogunbiyi, Rilwan Olarinwajo, Wahab Wasiu, Akeem Hassan, Idowu
Taofiq, Sadiq Alada, Razaq Isah, Tunji Kundus, Tijani Koyim and Ibrahim
Olagoke.
The downfall of the gang started
after it robbed a businessman, who deals in motorcycle of N2million. The gang
was alleged to have attacked the businessman in his shop at Abule-Egba area of
the state, where they dispossessed him of the money.
It would be later discovered that
the brain behind the attack on the businessman, was one of his regular
customers.
When the businessman’s shop was attacked,
his phones and those of his staff were taken by the armed robbers. He
petitioned the IGP, who directed IRT, headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police
(DCP), Abba Kyari, to look into the matter.
The police said: “Investigations
showed that those behind the robbery were members of a large gang, operating on
motorcycles. The gang specialised in dispossessing bank customers of their
money, moments after they had withdrawn it from banks or Automatic Machine
Teller (ATM) points. It was also discovered that a member of the gang visits
banks and monitor customers making huge withdrawals. He would then follow such customers.”
The police further narrated: “The
suspect, who has a waiting motorcycle, would trail the target and then alert
his gang members. The gang members were usually waiting nearby, waiting for
signal. They would dispossess the bank customer of money at gun point. These
suspects have been in this business for long and have robbed several bank
customers in various parts of the state.”
One of the gang members, Wahab Wasiu
(28), whose job was to monitor bank customers as they leave the banking halls
or ATM point, said that one Tunde lured him into armed robbery. He said that
the Tunde, used to work with his motorcycle.
Wasiu, a father of three, said that
he was into Aluminium engineering. He confessed to have joined robbery in 2017.
He said: “There was a day Tunde
invited me to follow him to do his business. He asked me to go to First Bank,
located at Idimu and stand beside the ATM point, monitoring customers making
huge withdrawals. He said that when I had a target, I should call our cyclist,
Akeem Hassan, and then we should start trailing the person.
“Sometimes, when I’m standing by the
ATM point, monitoring customers coming out of the banks with nylon bags of
money, I and my cyclist would trail the victim and rob him or her. So far, I have
trailed over eight bank customers from different banks and robbed them. I’ve built
a house with the money I made from the robbery operations."
Another gang member, Musibau
Ogunbiyi, alias Egwufe, said that he buried his late father with his own
proceeds. Ogunbiyi, who introduced himself as a mechanic, said that he used to
work with Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) as a supervisor. He
would later join the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). He said
that he was arrested after fighting to take over a park at Alaba International
Market area of Lagos. He spent a year in prison, and was later granted bail.
Ogunbiyi, who further said that he
was a member of the Eiye Confraternity, added: “After I was released from
prison, I started looking for job, but couldn’t get any. I met Tunde at a
popular hotel in my area. He told me that he had a gun, and was looking for
connection to go for any robbery operation. Three weeks after we met,
Tunde called and said he has an operation and wanted me to join him. I met him
at Egbeda and we went on a motorbike that was driven by one Semo. We went
to Idimu and robbed a man, who was walking along the road; we took the sum
of N250, 000 from him. Tunde has someone who used to give him information
about targets. I got N70, 000 as my share, while Tunde left with the rest of
the money.
“A month later, three of my friends
called and told me that they had information that an Igbo trader that deals on motorcycles
was making huge sales daily. They said that they wanted to lead a gang to rob
him. I told them that I had no gun for the operation but they persuaded
me to use my contact to get a gun.
“I called Tunde and told him about
the operation; he brought his guns and we all went and robbed the
man. We took N2milion from the man. I got N230, 000 as my share, Tunde got N240,
000 and we gave the remaining to the informants. I buried my father with
my share of the money and bought some clothes with the remaining money. Before
I knew it, the police came and arrested me.”
Rilwan Olarinwajo (24) alias Star
boy, said: “I’m a motorcycle operator; I became an armed robber through my
friend Egwufe. My first operation was at Liasu Road in Idimu. I was the person
riding the motorcycle, and there was a guy called, Enny, he was inside the bank.
Enny was the person that monitored the man we robbed from the bank. I don’t
know the amount of money collected from him, but I was given N30, 000.
“The second operation was at Aboru,
Iyano Ipaja. It was my friend, Sadiq Alabi that brought the job for us. I also
rode one of the motorcycles, which we used for operation. We robbed the man
selling motorcycle of N2million. I got N70, 000 as my share. I was the
first person arrested by the police.”
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