Police arrest armed robbery suspects, recover arms

From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos

Policemen attached to the Alakara Police Division, who were said to be on stop and search duty at Olosa area of Lagos state have arrested four suspected armed robbers.

This much was revealed by the Command’s image maker, Ngozi Braide, through a press release made available to journalists at the weekend.

The release, which gave the names of the suspects as Afeez Oyebanji, Abbass Lasisi, Wasiu Salami, and Ottor Benson further stated that the suspects, who were traveling in a Toyota saloon car, with registration No EPE 685 CD, were intercepted by the policemen and that when their car was subjected to a search, one locally-made pistol, one live cartridge were recovered from the suspects, who were subsequently arrested and detained.

The suspects, according to the release, are currently telling the men at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, all they know about the arms found in their possession.

In a related development, policemen attached to the Isheri Division, while on motorized patrol along the busy Ibadan-Lagos expressway, arrested four robbery suspects, whose names were given as Victory Anoechi Chimayan, George Onyemachi Equanumhu ,Oyebisi Afeez ‘m’ and Chidinma Onwe of no fixed address The report had it that were arrested as they journeyed in a Toyota Camry car with reg. No. LSD 568 CZ at  the Berger area of the Lagos- Ibadan expressway and that upon search conducted on them and their car, one locally made pistol with one live cartridge, one laptop, one Ipad, eight telephone handsets, seven wrist watches, cash sum of  about Eighty-Six thousand seven hundred and eighty-five Naira (#86,785.00) one Navy cap, one flash drive, six necklaces, four rings, one Ecowas passport, two travelling bags and weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa were recovered from the suspects. The case is under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department Yaba  Also in similar manner, policemen attached to Ejigbo Division,  acting on a tip-off at Mosalasi area of Ejigbo,   arrested one Obieze Asumba whose  age is put at  21 years old with a  snatched Hyundai S/Car he displayed for sale. The suspect had changed the colour of the vehicle and removed the plate number to pit off prying eyes and to afford him to quickly pit the car for easy sale. The case is under investigation at Ejigbo Division.

Similarly, two suspected armed  robbers, whose names were simply given as Evans Matthew, of No.23, Mission Street Alafia Suru-Alaba and one Aliu Sanni, of no fixed address, were rescued by policemen from FESTAC Division from an angry mob who wanted to lynch them for attempting to rob. The policemen however arrested them and took them to their station.

The suspects were alleged to have attempted to rob one Big Treat Supermarket located along First Avenue, Festac Town.

The suspects the report have it are now responding to treatment from the beating they got from the angry mob in a nearby hospital. The case is under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department Yaba.