In Nigeria, everyone is calling on God; governors
and those in the Presidency who are stealing
money from the treasury call on God. Now, armed
robbers too have started calling on God. Nawao!
Four members of a robbery gang who were
arrested by the Lagos State Police Command
have confessed that they usually prayed to God
before any operation. One of the robbers, Mutalubi
Abdullahi, said that the prayer was to ensure that
only �sinners� would be dealt with by the gang,
while the �innocent� would be spared.
Abdullahi, who was arrested along with Ismaila
Moruf, Opeyemi Akinyemi and Sarah Emmanuel,
were arrested by the operatives of the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad of the command, for robbing
early morning pedestrians and motorists in the
Mile 2 area of the state.
According to Punch, the gang, which operated on
commercial motorcycles otherwise called okada,
made use of three locally-made guns in their
operations.
The police said the female member of the gang,
Sarah Emmanuel, allegedly supplied two of the
three guns. It was gathered that two of the guns
had, however, been recovered by the police.
The police said the suspected robbers, who were
arrested from their respective hideouts in Iyana
Iyesi, Sango Ota, Ogun State, also operated in the
Agege, Isolo and Oshodi areas.
It was gathered that the mode of operation of the
gang was to attack unsuspecting motorists and
pedestrians on the expressway early in the
morning and during traffic hitches.
But 29-year-old Abdullahi from Igbeti, Oyo State,
said he and other members of the gang were
driven into robbery by poverty. He said they were
careful to rob only those who deserved to be
robbed.
He said, �That is why we usually prayed to God
before embarking on any operation. The prayer
was for God to protect us and to bring only
sinners our way so that those who were innocent
would be spared.
�I was formerly working as a panel beater in
Oyingbo, Lagos State. I started robbing just last
year. I have gone on robbery operations about 10
times.
�The gang has three guns. We only use the guns
to frighten people. Mile 2 Expressway, Alapere
and Oshodi are areas where we operated. The
money I made from panel beating and okada
riding was not sufficient. That was why I took to
robbery.�
Thirty-year-old Akinyemi, who was an also an
okada rider before joining the gang, said he made
about N25,000 from each robbery operation.
He said, �I was an okada rider, but when I had
an accident with the okada, I stopped the
business. I made about N25,000 each from about
four operations I went with the gang. Our style
was to attack people during traffic jams. My wife
did not know I was a member of a robbery gang.
It is true that we prayed before our operations,
asking for protection as we went out.�
Moruf, 30 from Epe, Lagos, said he was lured into
the gang after his job as a roadside mechanic did
not bring sufficient income.
The only female in the gang, 31-year-old
Emmanuel, who allegedly supplied them with
guns, said her friend, Modinat, convinced her to
buy the guns for the gang.
She added that apart from getting guns for the
gang, she had not gone for any operation.
She said, �I was working as a hairdresser. It
was one of my friends, Modinat, who called me
and said the gang needed a gun. Modinat was a
girlfriend to one of them. She then asked me to
come with her and I did. We got the two guns for
N25,000 at Idi Iroko from some mechanics. That
was in February. I know I am guilty.
The robbery suspects will soon be charged to
court.
No comments:
Post a Comment