The Lagos State Police Command has arrested eight suspected traffic robbers in the Ketu area of the state.
Five of the suspects were arrested on February 11 at 10:30pm by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad led by Olayinka Egbeyemi while the other three suspects were caught in the act by RRS patrol team on February 12 around 6am.
In a statement on Monday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi, gave the details of the suspects as: Olawuyi Olayinka, m, 27; Mayowa Adeleke, m, 17; Fa’izu Ado, m, 25; Segun Oluwatoyin, m, 27; Haruna Shuaibu, m, 29; Amos Abayomi, m 24; Monday Obayemi, m, 25; and Okunlola Olawale, m, 21.
The statement partly read, “One of the suspects, Amos Abayomi, who was arrested with a machete in between traffic in the morning of Friday, 12th February, 2021, in Ketu, Lagos, disclosed that he use to rob in traffic with a syndicate of other hoodlums especially in the morning and at night.
“He further explained that there were instances where motor boys working in Ajelogo Park, Ketu would use their trucks to block the highway at dawn thereby creating artificial traffic so that they can feast on motorists and commuters held in traffic.
“Abayomi, who had dispossessed a young lady of her Tecno Spak 4 phone, shortly before he was arrested, noted that traffic robbery at dawn and night was all he does for a living. He also disclosed that he had handed over the phones he collected to one of his colleagues, Akube (now at large) before he was arrested.
“Items recovered from the suspects were weapons, assorted charms, mobile phones, wraps of substances suspected to be cocaine and other hard drugs.”
The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, has directed that the suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba for discreet investigation and prosecution.
Police arrest eight ‘traffic robbers’, recover ‘cocaine, weapons’
By Precious Igbonwelundu
Operatives of the Lagos Police Command have arrested eight suspected traffic robbers in Ketu.
The suspects, Olawuyi Olayinka, 27, Mayowa Adeleke, 17, Fa’izu Ado, 25, Segun Oluwatoyin, 27, Haruna Shuaibu, 29, Amos Abayomi, 24, Monday Obayemi, 25 and Okunlola Olawale, 21, were apprehended between Thursday night and Friday morning.
According to the command, substances suspected to be cocaine were found in their possession.
Spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said in a statement yesterday that five of the suspects were arrested around 10:30 pm on Thursday, while the other three were caught while robbing people around 6 am Friday morning.
In his confessional statement to the police, Abayomi who was found with a cutlass said he used it to rob victims, adding that he worked with a syndicate of other hoodlums.
He narrated how motor boys at Ajelogo Park in Ketu usually blocked the expressway with their trucks in order to create artificial traffic for robbers to operate.
The suspect, who fleeced a young woman of her mobile phone that morning, said he gave his loot to one Akube before his arrest.
“Abayomi, an Eiye cult member, also confessed that Monday Obayemi, who was equally arrested with the assorted hard drug, robs and sells hard drugs in traffic to the suspects and other criminals daily.
“Items recovered from the suspects are weapons, assorted charms, mobile phones, wraps of substances suspected to be cocaine and other hard drugs.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has directed that the suspects be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba for discreet Investigation and prosecution, as the command will not leave any stone unturned in getting the state rid of criminals and hoodlums,” Adejobi said.