The 10 top arrests made in 2019 by RRS

The Rapid Response Squad (RRS) is a section of the Lagos State Police Command set up to respond speedily to emergencies within Lagos State. The Squad was charged with time-consuming task of flushing crime out of every part of Lagos State. Since its creation, the squad has always made remarkable arrests. As Lagos citizens welcome 2020, it is expedient to look at 10 biggest arrests made by squad in 2019. Juliana Francis reports.

Arrest of SIM cards, bank thieves

First on our list is the arrest of a group of robbers, along College Road, Fagba, and Abbattoir areas of the state.

The suspects were arrested on Valentine’s Day at about 9:00 p.m after the gang had robbed more than five passersby of their valuables, brandishing knives.

The suspects are; Akinyemi (23), Ofulie (18), Abdullahi (22), Umaru (30), Oyinloye (24), Oladipupo (27) and Olayinka.

The suspects robbed Agafe after he alighted from a taxi at College Road, Ifako Ijaiye. Amongst the items collected from him were an android phone, N14, 000 and a handbag.

Augustine said: “I allowed them to rob me because they were many and held dangerous objects but I trailed them to an open place before raising alarm. This drew the attention of some RRS officers on patrol in the area and they arrested some of them. They equally robbed some other victims amongst who was a lady in company of her boyfriend. They dispossessed them of their phones and stabbed her boyfriend who refused to let go of his mobile phone after parting with his wallet.”

Another suspect, Timileyin Oladipupo, also knowns as ‘Timi Yahoo,’ specialised in working on SIM cards of the stolen phones to determine which ones were internet banking enabled to facilitate the gang’s access to transferring money from victims' accounts.

Timi said: “I have worked on so many SIM cards given to me by Lekan and other groups in Agege Abbatior and what I do is to further increase our gain from the robbery by transferring victim’s money from their bank accounts after using some softwares to determine how much are lodged inside their accounts and we also share the proceeds.”

Fake prophet, conmen held over dollar scam

Osuji Chibuzor, (42), alleged leader of a four-man fraud syndicate operating in Ikeja, Ojota, Ojodu, Berger, Ogba, College Road and Agege, was arrested after his group swindled a lady N165, 000:00.

The suspect, whose role in the gang was to prophesy to victims after he or she must have been lured into their net, disclosed that his gang used fake dollars to entrap their victims.

Osuji explained that his members, Frank, Stella and Emeka, drive out daily to lure victims, who they must have tricked into their dollar making scam. He added that after luring the victim to their office, he would be invited as a pastor to pray for the victim.

He noted that it was in the process of praying for the victim that he would start requesting for money for anointing oil, chemicals for the washing of the money and other charges. He added that frustration made him join the fraud gang three years ago.

The victim, who did not want her name in print explained that she boarded a taxi in Ojota to Ojodu Berger. She added: “We were still in Oregun when the driver picked another passenger. It was at this point they started their trick on me. I ended up in their office in Iju, where they collected all the money on me including the one in my account. They made me swear to an oath never to inform anyone. Later, Osuji requested that I go get another N60, 000 to complete the ritual. After collecting N165, 000, they still wouldn’t let me be. I borrowed N60, 000 being the balance of what they needed. I was on the way to hand it over to them when I regained my consciousness. Luckily for me, with the assistance of a patrol team of RRS men, I was able to lure him out and got him arrested.”

Robbers attempt to strangle cab driver, steal car

RRS arrested three suspected robbers who lured a UBER driver, Ekwomi Charles, into a bush, attempted to strangle him and then made away with his Toyota Camry, 2006 model. The suspected UBER car hijackers were arrested in Lekki, Lagos State on their way to hand over the snatched car to a buyer.

The suspected UBER robbers, Daniel Alagor (28), Samuel Effiong (25) and three other suspects, had requested for UBER through Alagor’s phone line.

Supported by one Blessing, Alagor told the UBER driver, Charles, to take the duo to Abijo GRA from Jakande Estate, Lekki at about 11:00 p.m.

Mid-way into the trip, Blessing told the driver they were going to a birthday party in Shoprite, Sangotedo, and that they were going to pick two of their colleagues up in Abijo GRA, Ajah.

Charles would later narrate: “I agreed to pick their friends and drop them at the venue of the party as we were already in Abijo GRA. They called their friends and we agreed; I moved into the Estate to meet them on their way. I drove about 100 meters and I didn’t encounter them. I insisted I was going no further. They eventually came out and immediately they entered the car, they tied a rope around my neck from the back. Then, all of them started punching me till I passed out. Thinking that I was dead, they took me into the bush and dropped my body near an uncompleted building. They left a knife beside me after tying me up. I woke up later and went to report at the closest police station and eventually, RRS men arrested them.”

Stolen phone specialist grounded

The fourth case is the arrest of a pickpocket in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos. He confessed that he made at least N18,000:00 daily selling stolen phones.

The suspect, Lawal Daodu, 31, was arrested after he had picked a phone from the pocket of a passerby in Ikeja Under Bridge. Lawal, who had before his arrest steadily picked two android phones from passersby, was removing another android phone from the pocket of another victim when the phone incidentally fell from his hand, drawing the attention of its owner.

He was promptly arrested by the RRS officers attached to the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) stationed at Ikeja, Under Bridge. Just as the suspect was explaining the source of the phones in his possession, one of his victims, who was trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening saw his phone in the suspect’s hands.

Lawal said: “I had picked two phones in the morning which I sold to my customers in Computer Village. In the afternoon, I resumed to pick few phones. I was picking the third one when the owner raised the alarm which attracted the attention of the RRS men. They arrested me and unfortunately, just as I was trying to prove my innocence, when one of my victims identified his phone in my hand. I don’t operate every time. I go out at times twice in a week and I make at least N18, 000.00 from pickpocketing. There were times I made more than that, especially, when I picked expensive phones.”

Suspects using tricycles to rob victims smashed

The fifth case is the arrest of Timileyin Adebayo, 23, who, along with his gang members used a tricycle to rob a television presenter. He said that he was paid N8, 000:00 for every robbery operation he participated with the gang.

Adebayo in company of three other suspects, now on the run, had on July 12, 2019, while pretending to be passengers in a tricycle, used knives and cutlass to dispossess a lady of her belongings.

Adebayo stated that his gang members were Olabanji, Ahmed and Lekan. He said: “I joined the gang in July 2019 and for every operation, they give me N8,000:00 only. No matter what we made, that is what they gave me.”

The television presenter, who did not want her name in print, said: “The time was about 10:00 p.m. I was standing at Coca Cola Bus Stop, Ikeja, when their tricycle came. I boarded it hoping to drop at Ogba. They were all men; I didn’t suspect anything because there were other tricycles there. When the driver linked Wempco Road, the two passengers at the back and the one sitting down in front brought out knives and cutlass and threatened to kill me if I didn’t cooperate with them. They collected my two phones, my handbag, jewelry and some money. They then pushed me out of the tricycle and sped off.  I was struggling to get up to avoid oncoming vehicles from hitting me, when a motorcycle rider came and assisted me. We pursued them. We caught up with them in Akilo Road, but unfortunately for us, they used their tricycle to hit us. It was at that point that RRS patrol team saw us and chased them. They abandoned their tricycle and fled in different directions, but RRS men got that one.”

RRS smashes ‘House helps syndicate’

An agent, Francis Okputu (37), who specialised in assisting people to get maids with the motive of using them to steal from their employers, was arrested.

Okputu, a former drycleaner, turned house help agent, had been using his influence to bring job seekers to Lagos and fixed them in different homes as domestic servants.

Okputu agreement with the job seekers was to help them get jobs, where they would work as domestic workers. He collects half of their salary for the first month as commission fee and he had been doing this since 2003 predominantly on the Lagos Mainland.

Okputu said that he used to assist people to get housemaids work as an agent. He added that he installed not less than 15 domestic workers every year and gets half of their salaries as his commission. He, however, began to change his tactics after his financial burdens rose.

He added: “I have been helping Lagosians get house helps and everybody in my neighborhood knows that’s what I do and they also make recommendations and link me with their relatives who need my service. Sometimes in May 2019, a friend directed Joy Onoz to me to help her get a housemaid job which I did and all was fine until the next month when she began to call me that her mistress does not like her. She wanted me to do something about it.”

The police said that Okputu, on getting to know that Joy’s madam was wealthy, began to find means of looting the unsuspecting employer. He called Joy one day and warned her not to speak English throughout their conversation. He told her to steal her madam’s money, jewelries and to also help him get her picture.

The gold jewelry, he told Joy, would be replaced with copper. He said that he would take the picture to a prophetess who would help him bewitch and make the woman not to question any of Joy’s deed.

Joy, while talking to policemen about her agent’s move to loot her employer, quickly told her madam of Okputu’s plans. The girl and her madam decided to play along with his arrangement.

The mistress gave Joy some hard currencies and jewelry and her picture and told her to contact Okputu that she had successfully got some valuables.

Okputu, unaware of the plan, instructed Joy to meet him at Iyana-Ipaja to handover her loots to him, that he would arrange how to get the fakes across to her by doing imitations of the jewelries to avoid any suspicion. Officers who had been contacted by the employer swung into action and laid siege for Okputu at the agreed location where he was arrested after receiving the loots.

The police also visited the said prophetess who was to help Okputu hypnotized Joy’s mistress. The prophetess disclosed that the last time she saw Okputu was in February 2018 when he came for prayer and asked her to help hypnotized a woman who employed one of his clients. She said that she refused his demand and sent him out of her church because she doesn’t indulge in such practice.

Recovered from Francis’ hand when joy was trailed to Iyana Ipaja, the point of exchange of the stolen items was $15 dollar notes, sets of gold jewelries worth N450, 000 and a picture.

Vehicle owners relieved as RRS nabs brainbox thieves

RRS arrested two suspects, who specialised in vandalising vehicles and stealing their brain boxes. The suspects Sodiq Musa (28) and Saidu Atiku, (34) were arrested at Awolowo road Ikeja with three Toyota vehicle brain boxes. The third suspect, Ridwan Adamu, escaped with the fourth brainbox.

Sodiq, who claimed to be a graduate of Political Science, said that he came to Lagos in 2017 in search of greener pasture.

He noted: “I worked in Lagos as a barbeque man in various hotels and events before I met Ridwan who introduced me to brainbox theft. We use ‘magic stone’ that is, vehicle spark plug to break vehicle windows without attracting attention. It takes two minutes to unscrew a Toyota Hiace bus brainbox, and it takes four minutes to unscrew a Toyota Hilux brainbox. The spark plug reduces the noise and effects quick break of any vehicle window. We tie the plug in a handkerchief in a situation where we have multiple vehicles to work on.”

Sodiq said: “We specialised in stealing Toyota brainboxes because they fetch good money in the market. The demand for them is higher than any other brand. For example we sold a Toyota Hiace bus for N40, 000 while that of Toyota Hilux goes for N20, 000 respectively. Ridwan connects with the buyers of the brainboxes who he claimed are from the popular spare part market in Lagos. We always meet the buyers outside the market where we exchange our loots for cash. They usually pay in cash and will never wait more than two minutes as we already have an understanding on the prices. Ridwan gives me 40 percent of whatever we make from the sale of our loots. He has never disclosed where we were to carry out our next operation because he feels he is my boss. Our target areas are usually night clubs where people come with different types of vehicles. We strike around 1:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m. when most of the clubbers would have started enjoying themselves.”

Gang that uses dried pepper to snatch cars arrested

Two suspected robbers, who hijacked a Taxify Toyota Corolla Sports in Lekki and three others that participated in the selling of the car to a dealer in the Republic of Benin for the sum of N250,000:00 were arrested by Operatives of RRS.

The suspects; Michael Sosa (27), Nelson Benson (24), Idowu Dauda (30), Owolabi Shobayo, (29) and Biliaminu Abu (43), were all arrested in Ijoko and Otta, Ogun State for hijacking and selling a Taxify car in February, 2019.

Sosa in company of Dosumu, still at large, had sometime in February, 2019 converged in Elegushi Beach, Lekki where they both hatched the plan to hijack a Taxify car, move it to Ogun State and sell.

Sosa, a ‘yahoo-boy,’ after waiting till 10:00 p.m. ordered for a Taxify from Agungi Estate to Lagos Island. In the car with him were other suspects, identified as Dosumu and Idowu.

According to Sosa, “at Abraham Adesanya Estate, Lekki, I told the driver I wanted to ease myself. We alighted, while I pretended to be urinating, Dosumu poured dried pepper he was keeping into bottle water. He allowed the substance to dissolve well. We got back into the car. The Taxify driver was about to start the car when Dosumu poured the mixture on his head. The driver screamed and jumped out of the car. He started shouting for help. I got on his seat and drove the car away. I drove to the road leading to Alpha Beach, where we stopped for some hours because we suspected we were being followed. At about 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, I proceeded to Agege via Agidingbi, dropping Dosumu in Omole. I picked Nelson Benson in Agege Stadium. Nelson was to direct us through the routes that prevented us from encountering the police and to Ijoko. At Ijoko, I took the car to Alfa Mouka’s house. He is my spiritualist. I told him the car was stolen. It was at this point we began to source for buyers.”

The gang would later sell the Toyota Corolla Sport car for N250,000. “We would have sold it better than that but for the papers that were not available. I took N190,000 of the money. I gave N60, 000 to Gengen while I gave N40,000 to Eniba to give Michael. Although I got to know that it was N30,000 that got to him. Our link to Benin got N13,000,” they said.

Suspect arrested after shooting night club supervisor

There was also the arrest of Sadiq Yinusa, 25, who broke into a night club in Igbobi area of Lagos State.

Yinusa was arrested at a night club in Igbobi while attempting to rob the club supervisor at about 2.45 a.m.

Yinusa, from whom a locally made shot gun, four live cartridges, a socket wrench, a chisel and a plier, were recovered after shooting the night club supervisor, said that he was assisting his imprisoned gang member to raise fund to perfect his bail conditions.

He said:  “Prince Chika, currently serving prison sentence in Kirikiri for robbery, called me to help him hustle around for funds to secure his freedom from prison. He called me from prison to ask for my assistance. He gave me the location of this gun and some of the arms he used. He promised to refund me on the first week of regaining freedom. I retrieved all these arms from the bush where he kept them before heading for the operation. He told me that he bought the gun in Anambra State for N5000. Everybody had already left the club in Morocco Road, Igbobi when I scaled the fence. I saw the supervisor, and at gunpoint, I demanded for his wallet. I felt he was wasting time, so I shot him but he dodged and raised the alarm. I was escaping when I ran into a patrol team of RRS men responding to the distress cries of the supervisor. I was a pickpocket and a burglar before venturing into robbery. Last week, I broke into three houses in Somolu. From each of the houses, I collected two mobile phones. I also got three laptops as well as jewelry. I sold them. Whenever I collect ATM cards from victims, I also collect PIN at gun point.”

Waterloo of real estate scammers

A five-member gang of real estate scammers, who were about to fraudulently lease out someone else's duplex in Lekki Phase 2 to a house seeker for a sum of N4.5 million were arrested at the point of exchange of money and keys.

The gang, which consists of; Abolade Oladimeji (43), Ademola Ayo (45), Emmanuel Fabiyi (65), Ademola Hakeem (49) and Sunday Ayodele (52) were arrested in Lekki Phase 2, after almost sealing the deal for the leasing of someone else’s duplex to Mr. Obi.

The suspects, all of whom are real estate agents living in border towns of Lagos and Ogun had pretended to be agent of the duplex. To expand their dragnet, the suspects had advertised the property on jiji.com with a total lease package for a year put at N4.5 million.

According to the leader of the gang, Ademola Hakeem, he had been using his knowledge of computer to post for sale and lease on various websites non-existing landed property, apartments and buildings. He added that they lure unsuspecting publics with attractive prices.

Hakeem disclosed that in early September 2019, he posted a vacancy of a four-bedroom duplex in Lekki Phase 2 which attracted so many people amongst them Obi.

He said: “Immediately he called me through the contact on the advertisement, I knew he was genuine. I mobilized my colleagues and allocated roles to each of them to make the deal seamless. Abolade Oladimeji conducted himself as the estate lawyer. He discussed at length with our client on the legal angle as well as visitation before payment”, he stated. Ademola Ayo was in charge of taking client on house or land inspection. Emmanuel Fabiyi, the eldest among the team played the role of a principal agent and sometimes acted as site engineer while Sunday Ayodele assisted Fabiyi to make him look like a big man who is well groomed and seasoned in the business. After the inspection, Mr Obi requested to pay us with a cheque. Initially, we rejected as our mode of payment was through bank transfer. This is to avoid too much contact as we had dedicated account owners who connived with various teams of fraud syndicates that receive deposits into their accounts and collect 30 percent of the proceed. After much deliberation on the mode of payment, we agreed to collect the cheque.”

Obi was trying to fine tune the deal, when he suspected that something was off key. He embarked on an amateur investigation and located the real owner of the property. The suspects soon became guests of RRS.