Burglary: RRS Nabs 15, Recovers Computers

The operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos Police Command have arrested 15 suspects over the stealing of 7 sets of computer and its accessories at a Shomolu based public school just as they recovered 4 mini-laptops, a Laser Jet scanner, a desktop and a printer belonging to the school.

The suspects were arrested on Wednesday morning when RRS Intelligence Team stumbled on a lead that one of the suspects was lurking in a gaming shop at 29, Awoseni Streets, Shomolu.

On interrogation, the suspect, who turned out to be a buyer of one of the stolen mini-laptops specifically designed for secondary school pupils, led to the arrest of the principal suspect and 13 others.

The lead suspect, Yinka Adesola, 19, an athlete, disclosed that one Julius Akinyele, 20 (still at large), a phone repairer, who he accommodated, brought seven mini laptops, 1 scanner, 1 desktop, a CPU and a LaserJet printer belonging to a popular public school for keep in his apartment.

Explaining how he got the computers, he stated “I knew he was a wayward guy. I accommodated him because his relatives whom he was staying with were relocating from Shomolu. I offered to assist him since I had an apartment to myself.... He was my junior in secondary school. He was one of my fans while I was competing for the school and Local Governments in the state.... Immediately he joined me, a lot of things started missing in the compound. Neighbours were losing their phones. Later, we discovered that he was the one stealing all the phones. My parents directed me that I tell him to move out and I did."

Adesola also stated that, "But, before this time, he had brought 7 mini-computers, 1 scanner, 1 desktop, a Laser Jet printer for keep in my room. Although, I saw the name of the school on those items, since he was always visiting that school, I didn’t know they were stolen items.... After a long while I didn’t see him, I attempted to sell all these items. Some I have sold, and others like desktop, printer and four mini-laptops, I have not sold. I gave them out to friends and people that I know can help me sell them.”

Arrested along with the suspect were Lukman Sokoya, 34; Wasiu Adejare, 30; Ismaila Adebowale, 42; Ahmed Olaleye, 17 and Ramon Mukaila.

According to investigators, only six out of the 15 suspects arrested were directly connected to the burgled school and stolen computers as well as its accessories. Four of the suspects were released to their relatives, while the remaining five suspects were held for their link to cult activities in Shomolu.

The suspects, Kazeem Adenuga, 24; Owolabi Yusuph, 35; Wasiu Shodipe, 27; Samson Kareem, 34 and Sheriff Badru, 22, were arrested when investigators discovered that  they were involved in ceaseless violence in Awoseni Street on Tuesday night. The eleven suspects have all been transferred to SCID for further investigations.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, stated that the Command was leaving no stone unturned towards reducing crime in the state and make it safe for investment.

CP Fatai Owoseni Shares Knowledge At Capacity Enhancement Training For RRS

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Fatai Owoseni, lectures his men on performing more to meet today's security challenges. 

The five days training programme was organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). Titled: Enhancing the Performance of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). The five days capacity training that ends today focus on professional etiquette and image branding.

Also sharing lessons at the training is DIG Isreal Ajao (Rtd.) and the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Dr. Rasak Balogun.

RRS Keeps Close Watch On Protesters

A protest today at the Lagos State Government House. RRS officers keep watch on protesters while maintaining law and order.

Robbery: RRS Nabs Four

A vulcanizer arrested along with three other suspected robbers by the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command, has disclosed that he ventured into robbery to raise money for food and graduation ceremony.

The vulcanizer, Oluwatimileyin Okunnade, 21, from Ogbomosho, Osun State, was arrested yesterday around 8:00 p.m. in traffic by the police after snatching an Infinnix Hot Note from a lady driving a white Sienna space bus.

According to him, “I went to Ojodu-Berger bus stop early in the morning to look for work. I was there till evening, yet there was no work. I decided to trek home…. I got to Otedola Bridge, there was traffic and I realised that I had not eaten anything since morning…. The thought of going to bed without food was scary to me, so I saw a lady holding an Infinnix Hot Note and I snatched it from her…. She was so scared, she drove off but I was surprised later when RRS men chased and apprehended me few minutes later.”

Insisting that he was not a robber but a vulcanizer, Okunnade said: “What I was looking for was money to do my freedom ceremony…. I have spent eight years with my boss. And, he has told me openly to go and source for money for my graduation…. That was why I was looking for daily job to engage myself…. I ran away from Ogbomoso to Lagos to eke out a better life for myself…. I realised that bus conducting and joining bad gangs won’t yield me anything to give my family a befitting life, so I enrolled myself as an apprentice  vulcanizer, and I was doing well until my boss sent me away because of my freedom money.

“I had earlier got a daily job beside my boss with a fellow vulcanizer, my boss grew apprehensive that I was going to steal his customers, so he told them to send me away,” he added.

The arrest of Okunnade yesterday made the total number of suspects apprehended yesterday over robbery offence in Otedola Bridge area to four.

The operatives had around mid-day arrested a three-man gang comprising: Bola Adenuga, 39; Kehinde Oladipupo, 32 and Afiz Sulaiman, 27, for forcefully stealing an hydraulic jack and vehicle part from a lorry driver for failing to give them money.

Adenuga, the leader of the gang, disclosed to investigators that they assisted “the truck driver by assisting him to repair his broken down vehicle but when his truck started working, he declined to give us money, so we took his hydraulic jack and lorry bumper…. When he has money he can come and collect it. We have told him where he can find us. We are bricklayers”.

Speaking on the robbery, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, stated “If you think you can come to Lagos to perpetuate crime and get away with it, you better wake up…. The Command is alive to its responsibilities. No criminal would go scot free in Lagos. We would track and get you.”

RRS Nabs 2 Robbers, Recovers Gun, Loots

The operatives of Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two armed robbers in two separate incidences in Ikotun and Olodi-Apapa, just as it recovered gun, jewellery, laptop and 18 mobiles phones from the robbers.

The robbers: Bashir Wasiu, 22, from Oyo State and Tunde Adedeji, 23, from Abeokuta, Ogun State were arrested in Olodi-Apapa around 6:35 a.m. on Tuesday, 19 July, 2016, and Ikotun on Monday, 18, July, 2016 around 4:33 a.m. respectively.

Bashir had on early Tuesday morning in company of his two other members, waylaid Viho Segun at his residence’s car park, snatching his documents, phones and N15,000 from him at gun point before leading him to his flat intending to collect more valuables from his family.

At the Viho’s flat, Bashir threatened to kill him in the presence of his children and wife if they fail to produce more valuables. When the wife refused to surrender what they wanted, Bashir smashed Viho’s head with gun butt and beat the wife to a pulp.

Explaining what happened, Viho stated, “When he started beating my wife, I summoned courage to engage him. As soon as we started fighting, his colleague took to his heels. He too tried to run but I held him and I called out to neighbours, seized his gun and just in the nick of time, RRS officers on patrol arrived and they arrested him.”

According to the suspect, “We have been monitoring Viho. We know he goes to work early in his car and we decided to ambush him…. We were three, Michael and I followed him into his flat to collect more money while Joseph was monitoring the situation outside…. The three of us met at a point near boundary in Ajegunle. That is where we plan and set out for our operations. We operate early in the morning and late evening.”

For Tunde Adedeji, his 10-member robbery team invaded Muslim and Omotayo Streets where they robbed all the occupants of the three buildings they targeted. Two of the three buildings are in Muslim Street while the third building is in Omotayo Street.

Over 25 robbery victims residing in the three buildings narrated their ordeals in the hands of the 10-man robbery gang when they besieged RRS Headquarters in Alausa after reports filtered to them that RRS officials arrested one of the robbery suspects. Most of the robbery victims sustained several matchete cuts in the head and body.

The robbery victims, who came to Alausa in three fully loaded commercial buses were invited one after the other to identify the suspect and also identify their belongings from the 18 mobile phones, trinkets and assorted jewellery, recovered from the back-pack of the suspect.

Explaining how they planned and carried out the robbery operation, Adedeji said “at about 12:00 midnight on this fateful day, Sadiq, Sule, Ijoba, myself and six others whose names I don’t know met and discussed about the robbery.... I was invited into the operation by Sadiq. We met at Ikotun Egbe. We discussed the plan and at around 2:00 a.m., we converged at Ikotun Roundabout. The arms we used for the operation were cutlasses, wood and sticks. None of had a gun. We used legs to break doors and took phones, jewellery, laptops from our victims.... all the recovered items in my hand were from the victims. Sule and I were coming from the operation around 4:00 a.m. when a local security man intercepted us. He collected Sule’s bag. We ran away just as he was opening the bag. But, I was later arrested by RRS officials of patrol after seeing the content of my bag.... This is my second operation with the team. In June, we also robbed another house in Ikotun. We also took from them phones and money.... We sell all what we take to one guy called Tablet. Sule normally call him on phone after the operation and we meet him at Olugbede in Egbeda area.” 

 

According to one of the victim of the Ikotun  robbery who live in Muslim Street, Isiaka Alarape, "the robbers entered my house around 2:30 a.m. they were more than 10 but 5 of them entered my room.... They broke my door completely, smarched glass on my head and hit me with gun. They matcheted my wife and my neighbour seriously that they have to be rushed to the hospital.

Similarly, another victim who live in Omotayo Street, Friday Osigbe, said "they took N110,000:00 from me before taking my phone."

While Bashir Wasiu was transferred to SARS office in Ikeja, Adedeji was transferred to Ikotun Police Station along with the recovered items for further investigation.

Speaking on the robbery, the Police PPRO, SP Dolapo Badmos confirmed the arrest, adding that the police is not resting on its oars. She stressed that the Command would continue to work round the clock to reduce crime in the state.

Photo of Bashir Wasiu, one of the suspect receiving treatment from RRS Medics.

Photos of some of their victims.

RRS Nabs 22 Suspected Kid-Robbers In Agege

The operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command have arrested 22 teenagers for robbery, stealing and cultism.

The 22 teenagers, amongst whom are four female, were arrested for allegedly involved in separate incidences of robbery, stealing and cultism around Agege and its environs.

The two leaders of the first gang, which consist of eight members, Babatunde, 15 and Tayo, 15, were arrested on last Thursday, at about 11:30 p.m. in Mulero, Agege for assaulting and robbing one Aladegbo Abidemi with an axe, and snatching her Blackberry Z10.

The suspects were reported to have given out other members of the gang the following day. Other members of the gang arrested included: Matthew, 18; Sakiru, 16; Ganiyu,13; Reliwan, 15; Ibrahim, 15 and Kudus, 15.

According to their victim, Aladegbo Abidemi, female, 26, “I was coming from work. I decided to pass through Mulero to link the closest bus stop around 10:00 p.m. I sensed my phone ringing and I picked it. Just few seconds while on the call, I noticed some young boys about 12 swarming like bees towards me.

I ran but I fell down. They rough handled me, threatened me with an axe and took my phone. They retreated and abandoned me inside the gutter. A couple of minutes after standing up, I saw RRS patrol vehicle. I reported the incident and showed them the direction they went. They gave them hot chase, and arrested them with my phone”.

The second gang, consisting of 10 male and four females were picked-up at Abattoir on Monday at about 02:35 am, after three of them had earlier been arrested in Computer Village, Ikeja, for stealing mobile phones.

It was gathered that the trio, Sulaimon, 13; Godwin, 19 and Sunkanmi, 15, entered a phone stall and pretended they wanted to buy a phone. They walked out again after inspecting the phone only for the stall owner to realise that two phones were missing. They were however caught on their way going.

It was learnt that during interrogation at the RRS’ headquarters, three of them owned up to be members of Eiye Confraternity.

The names of other gang members arrested included: Taiwo, 17; Rotimi, 17; Lateef, 19; Tunde, 17; Bolawatife, 15; kayode, 15; Olamide ,15.

Other members of the gang who are female included: Olamide, 19; Agnes, 14; Ayo, 15 and Ope, 16.

All the suspects have been transferred to the State Police Command, Ikeja, for further investigations.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the arrest of the teenagers. She stated that the Commissioner of Police summoned the parents of the children and he has ordered that the teenagers be sent for rehabilitated without delay.

She added that the arrest of the suspects was an eye-opener to the challenges of crime fighting and breakdown of family values. 

RRS Apprehends Suspected Armed Robber

Operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, over the weekend arrested the suspected member of an Eight-man robbery gang, Abdullahi Olanrewaju, 30, during their operations at Abeje and Onibeju Streets, off Capitol Road in Agege Local Government area of the state.

The operatives, who were led to the scene of the robbery by Inspector Anthony Inege, noted that one of the victims, who managed to escape through the window, alerted them that armed men were operating in their building.

The officers followed the complainant to the robbery scene where they met men of underworld numbering about eight in an attempt to enter another building on the street.

It was gathered that as the robbers sighted the police, they opened fire at them. The swift response from the RRS operatives, who were on patrol routine in the area, led to the arrest one of them while others made away with two pump action guns, a sum of N549,500 and other valuables.

The suspect, who hails from Ita-Amoju in Kwara State, confessed that he was lured into the robbery with a promise by his gang members that they would buy a commercial bus for him after the operation.

“When I arrived Lagos, I started driving a commercial bus plying Agege to Oshodi before I joined the robbery gang. But all of a sudden, the bus developed faults, and the owner had to sell the vehicle off. Since then, things have been very difficult for me.... I met other gang members at a beer parlour in Akerele-Wahabi area in Agege. I told them I was a bus driver and they promised to buy a new bus for me.

When they refused to buy the vehicle for me, they promised again that they would introduce me to one business that can make me become rich. I never knew it was armed robbery they wanted to introduce to me to... at midnight when we went for robbery, I along with other seven gang members met at Markaz Road. We operated from one building to the other. Although, I didn’t follow them inside, but I was placed on standby outside. My job was to keep all the looted items including money."

The suspect stated that they went to the operation with four pump action guns and Jack knives in case of any security operatives intercept them.

“We went for that operation with bullet loaded four pump action guns. We had planned our movements for that night. We had intention to rob all the houses on the two streets, but luck ran out on us as we were able to visit only five buildings before the arrival of RRS operatives. We collected a lot of money, mobile phones and jewellery to mention a few."

He noted that two of his colleagues opened fires at the Police upon sighting them approaching with their vehicle. “When we sighted the police approaching, we had no choice than to shoot them. We opened fire on them and they retaliated immediately. But when we noticed that we were about to run out of bullets, we decided to take to our heels. Unfortunately for me, while other managed to escape, the police arrested me because I was unable to join the waiting vehicle," he revealed.

“If I had known I would not have followed them that night. It was my first time of going out with them. I didn’t know they were into robbery but when I discovered the kind of business they wanted to introduce to me, it was too late for me to reject, they also threatened to kill me if I expose them," the suspect regretted. 

Speaking with one of the victims who, did not want his name in print, alleged that the arrested suspect led the other members of his gang to their house. According to him, "That was the man who pointed gun at everyone of us threatening to shoot us if we fail to cooperate with them. They had to destroy my door room with sledge hammer before they could enter my room."

Another victim who lives on Onibeju Street, confirmed the allegation that the suspect led his colleagues to their building. "It was a bad midnight for all of us. In fact, he hit one of our neighbors with the pump action. The man in question has been hospitalized receiving treatment," he added.

The victims of the five buildings they visited on Ibeje and Onibeju streets, besieged RRS' headquarters to identify the suspect as the gang leader who threatened to waste their lives.

"When I did the calculation, the fleeing robbers had escaped with amount of N549,500 collected from all of us with other valuables," one of the victims said.

The items recovered from the arrested suspect were one cut-to-size pump action, Jack Knife, two laptops, 14 handsets, wrist watch and Two Thousand and Six Hundred Naira (2,600).

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo Badmus, noted that the suspect is helping the Police with investigation in order to arrest the fleeing robbers.

She assured that the Police Command will leave no stone unturned to relegate and suppress any criminal who wants to disturb the existing peace the good people of the state are enjoying at the moment.