The Lagos State Police Command,
yesterday, paraded eight armed robbers, who were said to have killed two
Policemen and wounded several others at Iju-Ishaga area of the state.
Among the suspects is a married
woman, Taiwo Obafunsho, 28, a mother of two who is also three months pregnant.
Obafunsho said that she knew the gang
through one of their girlfriends called Shade, who she met at Mushin where she
has a shop.
The other suspects are Ife Olubaba,
29 who is the alleged gang leader; Saheed Wasiu, 23; Sedu Idowu 20; Wasiu
Rafiu, 23; Odelade Kabiru, 26; Waliu Sanni, 29, and Taiye Agege said to be
dead.
The suspects were found with two
AK-47 rifles, one automatic pump-action gun, four locally-made pistols, two
fully-loaded AK-47 magazines, 135 live cartridges and a Hyundai Tucson sports
utility vehicle, number plate MUS 350 BG.
Rafiu said: “The first operation we
went for was at Agege and I was given N10,000. I was arrested at Oshodi.
“I did not know anything about it.
But because they saw Taiye and me together, I was arrested. I did not even know
what was happening. I did not follow them during the second operation.”
Another suspect, Sanni, said they
took three vehicles for the operation, but that they did not find anything or
any body to rob.
The Police Public Relations Officer,
PPRO, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident, stating that it was a follow-up to
what happened on November 3, where some robbers attacked policemen attached to
Iju Police Station in Lagos at 3a.m.
She said: “On October 9, when a group
of armed robbers carted away two police riffles, the Commissioner of Police,
Umar Manko, directed the officer in charge of SARS Ikeja, SP Abba Kyari, to
launch a massive manhunt for the robbers and recover the snatched rifles.
“Police efforts paid off when eight
of the armed robbers, led by one Ife Olubaba, a boy to Godogodo,
kingpin of South-West armed robbers, were arrested at various locations in
Lagos and Ogun states.
“During the exchange of fire between
the armed robbers and crack SARS operatives, one Taiye Agege was fatally
wounded.”
She said all the arrested suspects
confessed to have taken part in the Iju operation, where Policemen were fired.
She said efforts were on to arrest the remaining gang members.
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