we are land thugs, not robbers, say suspects
August 9, 2020.
Four suspects have been arrested by operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Command for robbery attack at Mayfair Garden area, Awoyaya in Ibeju Lekki area of the state.
The operatives, led by its Commander, CSP Kehinde Johnson also recovered four unexpended cartridges, a locally-made pistol and one of the phones that were stolen at the scene of the robbery from the suspects.
The suspects, Rasheed Odetola, 25, John Zion, 23, Damilare, 20, Salami and Adeboye Dayo, 25 were reported to have been terrorising residents of Ibeju Lekki and environs.
The suspects claimed that the recovered pistol and cartridges were not used for robbery, but for land grabbing whenever they were involved in clashes against their opponent.
The gang leader, Odetola, confessed that they were not armed robbers, but land grabbers who used the gun to protect themselves from their opponents, adding that during clashes, most of them sustain injuries.
Otedola, who narrated how their modus operandi, said: “Sincerely, what caused the clash is what I don’t know, I only saw three of them beating one of us and we cannot fold our arms and allow them to beat him, that was why we supported him in fighting the Hausa people.
“After we had been separated by some elders in the community, one of the Hausa boys started shouting that we took his phone.
“They ran back to us where we were standing, saying we cannot leave. They collected our phones and money from us.”
He continued: “Unfortunately, after searching us, the Techno phone was recovered from one of us, that was how they started beating us again that we were armed robbers, and we were later taken to Elemoro police Station at Ajah. While at the Station we were searched and a locally made gun was found on us.”
According to Adeboye, he was at home relaxing around 8:00pm when his friends ran to him from the site they were chased out.
He said his friends decided to come to his house to hide before going to their respective homes.
He said: “After staying with me for about two hours in my house at Gbetu in Ibeju Lekki area of the State, they were returning to their respectives homes around 10p.m., It was when we were going that fight broke out between one of us with the hausa’s who also reside in the area.
“I was only escorting them to get bike that would take them to the bus stop where they would board a bus, because it was late.
“I still don’t know what caused the fight up till now. It was in the process of stopping the fight, one of the Hausa boy stabbed me and Rasheed, immediately I was stabbed I left the scene.
“I don’t know anything about the fight, if I had known this was going to happen to me, I wouldn’t have allow them to come to my house, I only pitied them when they said they ran for safety of their lives.”
Another suspect, Zion, who admitted that the stolen phone was found on him, claimed to have picked it on the ground during the clash between them and the commercial motorcyclists .
Zion who is also a commercial motorcyclist, said that was the first time that he went with his colleague to site.
“It was Rasheed that invited us that some people were coming to fight with us. When we were fighting, I saw a phone on the floor and I picked it and hid it in my pocket, before we were eventually arrested by the police. We are not armed robbers .”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu , who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, said that the police would thoroughly investigate all their criminal activities .
Odumosu, while speaking on the arrest of the suspects, warned criminals in all parts of the state to turn a new leaf or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.
The police boss further stated that the suspects would be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others who hide under different names to forment trouble in the state .