Ajana, 26, explained that whenever he and others were leaving Benin Republic to Nigeria, family members used to urge and pray for them to ensure they make money through whatever means and bring it home.
He further stated that when he entered Nigeria, his head was filled with ideas of different ways of becoming rich.
He said: “I just couldn’t afford to return to Benin Republic without making substantial money. If I return to my country without money, nobody would welcome me.”
Ajana was arrested along with two other gang members identified as Abiodun Ridwan, 29 and Ridwan Salaudeen, 28. They were arrested after they had robbed a couple of their money and other valuables at Oko-Afo area of Badagry.
According to the police, the suspects used to hire guns for operation from a cultist. The cultist belongs to the Eiye Confraternity. After the operation, the guns would be returned and some money given to him.
Ajana said: "I came to Lagos in 2010 to become rich. I came from a poor family and to become rich has always been my driving force. I want to take my family out of poverty and that was why I took to robbery. When I got to Lagos, I was living with my uncle, Adisa, where I learnt bricklaying job. Yes, I was making money through the bricklaying work, but it was not coming the way I wanted. I left the bricklaying work and bought a motorcycle to become a commercial cyclist.”
The suspect narrated that after the Lagos State Government stopped cyclists from operating because of COVID-19, he realised that he had not achieved his aim of hitting big money and brainstormed on his step point of action.
“I had not achieved my aim. I thought of what next to do. It during that period I met and became friends with Abiodun and Salaudeen. We met a party and became friends. We then formed gang,” said Ajana.
He further recalled: "Yes, we formed the gang to achieve our aims of becoming rich. After we had succeeded in the some robbery operations, bought a gun from the cult guy for N30, 000. I bought the gun from him because I wanted to continue with my robbery until I had achieved my dream.”
The second suspect, Abiodun, reiterating Ajana’s story, said after meeting at the party, they formed a robbery gang, with Abiodun providing the gun for operation.
He said: “The three of us met at a party and we became friends. After we shared our experiences and life had been tough on us, we decided to form the robbery gang. I provided the locally made gun we used. I’m a member of Eiye Cult group, which was why I was able to get the gun. I got the gun from our number one called Abobo. I lied to him that I wanted to use it to protect myself. He believed and gave me the gun. In our first operation, we robbed at Oko-Afo. We went from house to house, robbing residents of their money and their valuables. When we got to the last house on the street, we noticed that a generator was still working and put it off. When the owner came to check what happened to it, we gained access into the apartment. We threatened to kill the wife if the husband didn't cooperate with us. To prevent the wife from being killed, the husband brought out N500, 000 and we took six phones, laptop, wristwatch and some trinket box from them. Other apartments didn’t have money like the couple. After the operation, we made about seven hundred thousand naira from the street.”
Stating his own story, Salaudeen said his role in the operation was to act as a lookout during operation.
He said: "Whenever we entered victims’ houses, what I do is to pick anything available. On the fateful day we went to rob the couple, I was the one who ransacked their apartment and collected their phones and laptop. The money was handed over to me. We don’t kill; rather we threaten our victims with the guns. Our mission is not to kill, but to make enough money. We are just trying to survive. After the operation, we sold some of the phones and the laptop, but I decided to keep one to myself. It was through the stolen phone, which I was using that police tracked and arrested me. The police used me to catch other members of our gang. I regret my action. I don't know what my mother would be going through right now."
The Lagos State Commissioner, Hakeem Odumosu, reacting to the arrest of the suspect, warned other criminals planning to come to the state, to have a rethink.
He said: “The Lagos State Police Command, under my control will not allow criminal element to operate in the state. They should stay in other states or relocate to other states if they are already in Lagos. If not, we will catch and bring them to book.”
Father: Why my daughter attempted to drink Hypo with detergent
Juliana Francis
A distraught father, simply identified as Femi, has narrated how his 20-year-old daughter attempted to commit suicide by mixing Hypo and detergent with the intention of drinking it.
According to Femi, family members had unwitting entered the girl’s room and found attempting to take her life.
When asked the reason for attempting to take her life, she broke down, weeping profusely. One of her siblings collected her phone, unlocked it and saw series of threatening message from one Arinze, living in the same community in Iba with them. It was discovered from the threats, that Arinze raped the victim, video-recorded it and then asked her to pay him some money or he would upload it on social media. It is also believed that Arinze drugged the victim before raping her.
Police detectives attached to Iba Police Station, Lagos State, have, however, arrested the 23-year-old Arinze for allegedly for allegedly raping the victim and video recorded and tried to use it as a weapon of blackmail.
The aggrieved father of the survivor took the matter to Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN), demanding justice.
According to Femi, his daughter was sexually abused on July, 13 by Arinze, living in the same neighbourhood with them.
Femi explained that on the fateful day in question, Arinze brought the survivor home under the disguise that he saw her staggering and decided to assist her home.
Femi said: “The next day I was called from my office that my daughter fainted and was rushed to hospital, where a doctor confirmed she was anaemic and required two pints of blood. I eventually spent 30,000. But on July 19, after our morning prayer, I heard one of my daughters screaming. We rushed to my daughter’s room and discovered she had mixed Hypo and detergent, attempting to take her life. We tried to calm her down, but she kept saying she wanted to die.”
The man further stated: “After much pleading, we opened her phone and saw Arinze’s message demanding for a huge sum of money to be transferred into his account or he would publish the recorded scene on social media, where he was abusing her. On the night Arinze brought my daughter home, we observed she had marks of injury all over her body. But she wouldn't talk to anyone about it until the suicide incident.”
Our reporter gathered that the matter was lodged at Iba Police Station. When the police went to arrest Arinze, they discovered he was not at home. But they met his father, who promised to bring him to the police station. But rather than bring Arinze to the station, the father attempted to settle matter with the survivor’s family.
Arinze was eventually arrested. The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case, while preparing her charge sheet, charged Arinze with blackmail and extortion, but was quickly corrected by members of the ACVPN. It was discovered that the IPO preferred to prepare the charge based on Arinze’s testimony, who claimed he was in a relationship with the survivor and that whatever happened, was consensual.
The charge sheet was duly amended with the inclusion of the Section 137 of the Lagos State Criminal Code.
The secretary, ACVPN, Mr Ebenezer Omejalile, said: “The IPO was asked if a genuine boyfriend would physically abuse his girlfriend, rape and then demand for her Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card so that he could withdraw her entire money from her account. Eventually, when it was presented before the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in charge of the division, he instructed that the case should be transferred to the Gender Unit of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba. Prior to the DPO’s instruction, the perpetrator had been boasting that he would deal decisively with the survivor’s father. It clearly shows the perpetrator doesn't know the consequences and gravity of his actions.”
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